Burma Dive Sites - Myanmar
The Andaman Sea: Burma Banks and Mergui Archipelago
Burma scuba diving was virtually unheard of until 1997 when the Burmese military finally opened its doors to the outside world and Similan Liveaboard dive vessels venturing north from neighboring Thailand. It hasn't taken long for the dive sites of the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks to quickly become popular among discerning and more experienced divers looking for greater bio-diversity, more challenging diving conditions, and the freedom to explore an area of the world that time and man has forgotten for almost half a century.
Due to its political and geographic isolation the magnifcent waters off the coast of southern Burma are filled with unbelievably pristine and untouched tropical reefs teeming with marine life of every size, shape, and color imaginable. Made popular by big fish and shark encounters Burma dive sites are much more and truly offer something special for every diver. If you want to see fish and invertebrates not found anywhere else on the face of the earth, and one of the last uninhabited archipelagos in the world, you've come to the right place. Don't go just for the shark encounters, they are frequent but not guaranteed.
Dive Adventures Asia offers a wide selection of Burma Liveaboard diving options to get you to the best Burma dive sites which include the Burma Banks and the Mergui Archipelago. These dive destinations are virgin territory just now being explored, and new spectacular dive sites are continually being discovered. Come and join us for an incredible Burma Liveaboard Safari, and be one of the few to experience some of the best diving anywhere on the planet.
Burma Liveaboard Safaris Departing Weekly | Bookings, Enquiries, or Information- Contact Dive Adventures Asia
Reserve Your Space with Only a 30% Deposit and Pay the Balance 30 Days Prior to Departure!
Booking your diving to Burma in advance is highly recommended as there are only a handful of quality Burma Liveaboards and space is limited to a first come first serve basis. Let us help you with your selection!
Burma Banks Dive Sites
Over the Andaman Sea horizon in international waters and far beyond the sight of land lie the exciting and remote reefs of the magnificent Burma Banks. These burma dive sites are a series of submerged sea mounts, lying in the open sea, which form gigantic coral covered plateaus that come within 15-24 meters of the surface. The plateaus which are covered in building size coral colonies are surrounded by depths of over 350 meters and plummet straight down beyond recreational diving limits.
Diving at the Burma Banks is always exciting and challenging, but it is not for the faint of heart. This is real ocean diving where there is nothing but beautiful open sea in all directions. Many sites are fairly deep and strong unpredictable currents are very common. For experienced divers looking for high voltage excitement, big animal encounters and a chance to dive an environment well off the beaten path, the Burma Banks are definitely the destination of choice. For intermediate to experienced divers up for a challenge. This area is approximately 180 km northwest of the Similan Islands.
Silver Tip Bank
Shaped like a submerged table top mountain, Silvertip Bank has a massive flat top at about 17-20 meters beneath the surface. From the top, the bank drops off at about 45° to 45 meters before plunging to 350 meters or more. Within moments of descent to the top of the bank, large Silver Tip Sharks begin to make their appearance, cruising around out in the blue. Nurse sharks in large groups are also very common here. Due to the proximity of deep water, this site is an excellent area for pelagic fish such as Rainbow Runners, Bonito and big Dog-Tooth Tuna. Large Stingrays are also encountered here along with Eagle Rays, Mobular Rays, and Mantas. Big game fish such as Wahoo, Sailfish and Marlin make their appearances as well. Even Ocean Sunfish and Whale Sharks have been seen here; this is the kind of place where it is possible to see just about anything! Don't miss this Burma Banks Dive Site.
Currents moderate to strong, for intermediate to advanced divers. Depth: 15 to 40+ meters. A must see when diving in Burma!!
Rainbow Bank
This spectacular bank covers a large area, averaging 23-28 meters in depths across the top and falling away to more than 350 meters. A fairly even sandy bottom is enlivened with extensive areas of beautiful hard corals. The table corals here grow to 5 meters or more and huge apartment size mounds of boulder coral dominate the majestic seascape. Many of the ancient "bommies" are riddled with fissures and crevices, which provide attachment points for several varities of huge Gorgonian Sea Fans. These sea fans are some of the largest and healthiest specimens in all of the Southeast Asia Pacifc Region. You must see these magestic old men of the sea!
There will be the possibility, of seeing a variety of sharks on every dive – not only small species such as the nurse shark, but also much larger, oceanic species such as Silver Tips. Tiger Sharks are much less common, but there is an abundance of reef and pelagic fish to keep the adrenaline pumping. Sharks are not as prevalent as in years past, but this is not the only reason to visit the "Banks", just consider it a highlight if the sharks do show up on your dives.
Currents moderate to strong, for intermediate to advanced divers. Depth: 15 to 40+ meters. Challenging Burma Diving!
Top of PageMergui Archipelagao Dive Sites
With the discovery of the majestic and mystical Mergui Archipelago the Burma Banks are no longer the only attraction for divers visiting Myanmar. The Mergui Archipelago which consists of 800 small islands north and east of the Burma Banks covers an extensive area of over 10,000 square miles, and is virgin territory for diving expeditions. The area is absolutely one of the last untouched places on the planet where divers can participate in exploratory frontier diving in one of the most diverse marine habitats anywhere in the world.
There are four types of diving environments in the archipelago: first are the shallow inshore fringing island reefs where visibility is often poor but the diversity of marine life is unsurpassed; second are the offshore fringing reefs where the visibility is considerably better, and the coral much healthier; third are the pinnacles and small rocky islands which rise from the depths and attract larger marine life such as sharks and rays; and fourth are the banks which rise up from depths of over 300 meters and attract different types of marine life altogether. The Mergui Archipelago is undboubtedly one of the most diverse and interesting marine ecosystems in the world and a must see for the adventurous diver who is looking for something challenging and out of the ordinary.
In addition to the possibility of big shark encounters schools of mobula rays and manta rays are frequently seen throughtout the archipelago. Macro enthusiasts will be equally impressed as the region is plentiful with nudibranchs, clown frogfish, ghost pipefish, ribbon eels, a variety of lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. There is much more diversity of marine life and diving environments in the Mergui Archipelago than in the more popular waters of neighboring Thailand, which is considered on of the top ten diving destinations in the world. Dive into a world of the unexpected in the Mergui Arhcipelago.
Black Rock
Black Rock is considered one of the most spectacular dive site in the Mergui Archipelago.The island is quite small at a 100 meters long, and is located approximately 100 nautical miles north west of the Thai - Burmese Border town of Kawthaung. Because of the remote location and depths exceeding 70 meters or more this island is a virtual magnet for a variety of big pelagics cruising the open seas.
Below the surface this magnificent underwater mountain offers an awe inspiring variety of diving opportunities which include a speactacular wall dive, monolithic boulder formations, and shallow reefs. Black rock is famous in the Mergui Archipelago for its incredibly large schools of Mobula Rays, majestic encounters with schools of Manta Rays, huge Marbeled Sting Rays, and large schools of Eagle Rays soaring above and all around you. There is also plenty of opportunity for the small stuff which includes banded sea snakes, mantis shrimp, red swimmer crabs, and a variety of beautiful hard and soft corals.
The strong and downward currents make this an advanced dive which can create all kinds of fun and games for divers. Be aware of your depth, air supply, location of your buddy, and try and stay close to the shelter of the boulder formations. Moving beyond the shelter of the rocks on the island's east and west tips can make it very hard to get back to the dive site again. This dive site is completely awesome and challenging and should not be missed!
Currents moderate to strong, for advanced divers. Depth: 5 to 40+ meters. Don't miss this world class Mergui Archipelago dive site!!
High Rock
This is usually the first or last dive on a Burma liveaboard safari, as most of the islands south of here are closed to diving. A bizzare small islet in the open sea that has one single solitary tree growing on it and nothing else, High Rock is very unusual looking above the water line. Beneath the water, the sheer volume of marine life on this dive site hits you like a ton of bricks as soon as you descend. Blue line snapper form huge schools that obscure the reef wall from view. Glassfish are equally numerous, as are gold-striped fuseliers and large yellow tail barracuda. Blue trevally dart into shoals of bait fish that move as one, safety in numbers their only defense. Large flutemouths stalk their prey and giant triggerfish patrol the area as if guarding their territory.
The walls of the rock also feature a small overhang which is covered in colorful orange and green cup corals, and magnificent red and purple soft corals. There is a huge variety of invertebrates here such as lobster, hermit crabs, zigzag clams, black diadema urchins, oysters and squid. Yellow-margin, fimbriated, giant and white-eyed moray eels can all be seen in abundance, and different species are often eseen sharing the same hole. Look into the crags and you may be surprised to see Indian Ocean nurse sharks which are residents throughout the Mergui Archipelago. Areas of the massive wall are draped in old nets of the Mergui Archipelago fishermen of years gone by. Now encrusted in corals these nets are a favorite home of beautiful yellow tigertail seahorses that like to wrap their tail around the nets and float in the current. On close inspection you will find nudibranchs, bearded scorpionfish, pipefish, and seahorses around the submerged rocks. Dont miss this dive site it is a macro lovers dream come true.
Currents moderate to strong, for divers of all levels. Depth: 5 to 26+ meters. A great way to get started in Burma!
Three Islets (Shark Cave)
Another one of the top Mergui Archipelago dive sites, the Three Islets are three rocks rising from 40 metres deep to just above the surface. One of the most extraordinary dive sites in the archipelago, huge schools of fusilier and silversides surround you upon entering the water. The sandy base of the islands reveals unusual anemones and starfish, while the walls are covered with orange cup corals, whip corals, and green tubastrea coral. It is one of the better areas to see harlequin shrimp and harlequin ghost pipe fish.
If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, there is a huge underwater canyon, north of the middle islet, that leads to a tunnel connecting the northern and southern part of the islet. Here, if you’re lucky, you can witness gray reef sharks cruising the tunnel and swimming in and out of the impressive underwater canyon. The trick here is to blend in against the east side of the wall and just observe these amazing creatures as they patrol the open waters. As long as there are not too many divers in the canyon, the sharks will gain confidence and swim in very close to you. The shark group can include multiple animals but don't be intimated just remain calm and relax.
For real thrill seekers you can enter the 20 meter long tunnel and make your way to the other side of the island. The entrance to the tunnel is usually guarded by several grey reef sharks that also use the tunnel to move from one side of the islet to the other. It is possible you may come face to face with one or more of these magnifcent animals in the tunnel. If this happens just relax, stay quiet and motionless, and make room for them to pass you by. You may also see several docile nurse sharks hanging about, no need to worry they are usually sleeping and quite harmless. The tunnel is around 20 metres long and has many cup corals and sponges along its walls, take care of possible surge within the tunnel, and don't forget your torch.
Currents moderate to strong, for advanced divers. Depth: 5 to 30+ meters. A must see when diving Burma - Myanmar!
Western Rocky
The Mergui Archipelago's southernmost dive site, Western Rocky, is located 80 km off the coast of Myanmar. This limestone island features dramatic underwater terrain, including a tunnel–often full of large tawny nurse sharks–which traverses the island about 20-meters down. The island is more like a series of pinnacles rather than one big rock and the soft limestone makes for crevices offering shelter for a wide variety of marine life.
Some of the sea creatures you will see here include mantas, gray reef and spinner sharks, eagle rays in the open water next to the island, and leopard sharks with spotted rays lounging on the bottom of the sandy reef. On and around the massive boulders, huge spiny lobster, cowrie shells, feather stars, anemones and an assortment of crabs abound. Reef fish include blue-ringed angelfish, moray-eels, snappers, frogfish, and the ever elusive ghost pipefish. Marine life ranges from the tiniest nudibranch to occasional whale shark visit. This is a Mergui Archipelago favorite dive site. The bio-diversity here will please even the most experienced of divers.
Currents moderate to strong, for advanced divers. Depth: 5 to 35+ meters. A diving Mergui Archiepelago Favorite!
Dive Map of the Mergui Archipelago
Burma Liveaboard Safaris Departing Weekly | Bookings, Enquiries, or Information- Contact Dive Adventures Asia