Burma Dive Sites
Diving in Burma, now known as Myanmar, is still popular although maybe reached it's peak about 10 years ago. The Mergui Archipelago is visited by liveaboards based in Phuket or Khao Lak. The dive sites cover a wide area of ocean, and Burma liveaboard tours are typically between 6 and 10 days in length. The islands of Mergui are beautiful and unspoiled, inhabited only by a few groups of Moken sea gypsies. The main attraction for divers always used to be the chance of big fish sightings - many species of sharks and rays are found in the waters of Burma, though in recent years the area is attracting more divers looking for macro life and rare reef fish not found elsewhere. There are only a few liveaboards heading to Burma.
Myanmar (Burma) - Dive Sites
- Western Rocky Located 80 km off the coast of Myanmar, Western Rocky offers a sloping reef, great wall diving and several surrounding pinnacles. A tunnel leads right through the island, with lots of crayfish and usually some large sleeping nurse sharks. Western rocky is one of Burma's best spots for shark sightings. Encounters with Whitetips, Gray reef sharks, Blacktips or even Bull sharks are fairly common.
- Black Rock This pinnacle is one of most spectacular dive sites in the Mergui archipelago with an excellent variety of reef life and abundance of large pelagics including Silvertips, Gray reef sharks, Blacktips, Bull sharks, Eagle and Manta rays. There are beautiful soft coral formations in the deeper areas.
- In Through The Out Door One of the best sites anywhere in the Andaman Sea, also known as "3 Islets". A channel in the main island at 14-18m takes you to a natural bowl where Gray Reef Sharks are usually found cruising. On the far side of the bowl a tunnel leads to the other side of the island and a beautiful hard coral reef.
- High Rock A mix of steep drops and gentle reefs around a small island, known as High Rock. The depth is only 18 - 25m with plenty of soft coral and cup coral especially in the deeper parts. Seahorses are commonly found hanging on remnants of fishing nets, while other critters are also found hiding in the corals. The site is only about 35 miles from Kawthaung and is often dived on the last day of a trip.
