Myanmar's south Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks are world renowned scuba liveaboard destinations famous for sightings of sharks.
Myanmar, the former Burma, has many pristine islands and is a country not yet visited en mass by tourism. Its government is very unstable so check before hand whether diving is possible. In 1998 many dive sites have been declared off-limits for security reasons. Touristic highlights in this country are the Schwedagon Paya in Yangon, Ngapali Beach, the floating markets of Inle Lake, historic Mandalay and the temple complex in Bagan. In general you will be surprised by the people's hospitality, kindness and friendliness.
Unfortunately, up till now, only a slight number of dive sites in the Andaman Sea have yet been discovered. If you want to do some scuba diving in Myanmar, your best option is to book a liveaboard tour from Thailand or Kawthaung. Kawthaung lies in Myanmar's most southern Taninthayi division, next to Ranong, and is often visited for visa applications. Other cities in the south such as Myeik and Dawei can be reached by plane from the capital Yangon or Rangoon.
Since strict regulations towards foreigners still apply is Myanmar, it is a country not yet open for mass tourism. In fact, most dive boats that visit Myanmar will come by liveaboard tours from Phuket and Khao Lak, Thailand and from Kawthaung, Myanmar. The two main regions are the Burma Banks, a selection of completely submerged seamounts that rise towards the surface and offer stunning high current pinnacle diving. Well known banks are Silvertip Bank, Heckford Bank and Roe Bank. These are located far into the Andaman Sea, even further out than the Similan and Surin Islands with an ocean floor of more than 400 meters deep. Another area is the Mergui Archipelago, just northwest of Kawthaung and southwest of Mergui. This fabulous area with hundreds of islands is largely unexplored and should hold many undiscovered sites. Diving Burma is superb with often strong currents, huge predators and steep walls. It has become a popular destination for scuba divers who like sharks; especially silvertip, several kinds of reef sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks and even hammerheads. Manta rays and Devil rays are common as well. You will be surrounded by curious marine life that has been privileged with not seeing many divers before.
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