Well I did the unfortunate and limited myself to live aboards that offered daily transfer on/off as I only had 2 day 1 night approved by my wife.

If you want to I can connect you with my compatriot who now lives and is independent instructor in Phuket and can suggest you best options based on your personal taste. To each there is their own in terms of diving. I think that only thing we have in common is that we have to spend surface interval out of water

Which reminds me I need to end this SI and go diving today

P.S.: If anyone wants independent contact (independent from operators) PM me.