Myanmar's south Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks are world renowned scuba liveaboard destinations famous for sightings of sharks.
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High Rock is a popular dive site well recognized because of its single huge tree on top of the rock.
- North Twin Island
- Black Rock
Fan Forest Pinnacle is just a few miles north of Western Rocky. The pinnacle rises from a depth well beyond the limits o...
- Western Rocky Island: Western Rocky Island is the one of the best dive s...
- Burma Banks: There are no islands here, the Burma Banks, locate...
One of the best dive site with the most potential for big stuff in Mergui Archipelago. It's fairly remote and thus attra...
North Twin Plateau is a separate dive site one kilometer to the northwest of North Twin Island. Here a series of granite...
The Mergui Archipelago has over 800 different pristine islands all perfect for excellent liveaboard trips.
- Three Islets, Three Stooges
- Myanmar
Dive site North Twin Plateau consists out of several granite boulders surrounded with aquatic species.
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.