https://www.southeastasiadreams.com/https://www.southeastasiadreams.com/assets/templates/sead-new/images/logo.png Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar – Dive Sites
Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar – Dive Sites

Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar – Dive Sites

North of the Thai border in the Andaman Sea, lie the largely undisturbed waters of Myanmar. Explore with us the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar – Dive Sites.

The area was only opened up to tourism in 1997. Because of this, divers who choose to dive in Burma from a liveaboard, feel a great sense of privilege and get to witness the awesome sights above and below the surface of this largely untouched region. The waters away from the island appear to be part of one of the many routes for great barracudas and small white-tip reef sharks. The barracuda in particular often come in close to check out divers and on occasion escort them round the site.

Black Rock    

Black Rock in Myanmar / Burma Experience: *
Current: ***
Visibility: 15 - 25 meter
Depth: 5 - 30 meter
Snorkel Condition: good

Black Rock is a tremendously exciting dive site, with frequent possibilities of spotting sharks of different sizes and species. The western side offers an extraordinary overgrowing wall, underlined with small boulders. This is the place to observe larger apex predators such as scalloped hammerheads, bull, grey reef and white tips. The sharks patrol the waters away from the rocky mass, passing through and round patch reefs and boulders that have settled to from wide U-shaped gullies on the seabed.

 

The eastern side features a slowly sloping corals reef and large rocky outcrops with numerous nudibranchs, hard and soft corals. There are more fantastic small critters to be seen such as golden wenteltrap snails, saron shrimps just to name a few but often it is hard to concentrate on these due watching out for sharks, rays and school of jacks. It's also likely to see black and white tip reef sharks, gray sharks, rays and mantas. Other treats are several types of hermit crabs seldom seen anywhere else.

 

Large barracudas provide a wake-up call for any divers thinking of investigating the rocks in the deeper waters. Reef fish are prolific all around this open ocean site as are minute reef creatures such nudibranchs, shrimps and crabs. The rarely seen Rhinopia, or lacy scorpionfish has been seen along the northern slopes of this site.

 

Shark Cave 

Another of the top Mergui Archipelago dive sites and north of Kyunn Phi Lar Island (Great Swinton Island). Most divers know Shark Cave for its resident docile nurse sharks. The ragged cave entrance is on the northwest corner of the islet and is 5-16 meter deep. Often found guarding the entrance are several grey reef sharks, long-fin trevally and silver sweetlips. On the far side of the bowl a tunnel leads to the other side of the island and there you'll also find a beautiful hard coral garden.  

Western Rock

Western Rock at the Andaman Sea Myanmar / Burma Experience: **/***
Current: ***
Visibility: 5 - 25 meter
Depth: 5 - 30+ meter
Snorkel Condition: notsuitable

There is no dive site quite like Western Rocky in either Thailand or Myanmar. Situated in open sea, the island has a long sloping reef on the northeast side. The other side offer wall diving. The sand bottom starts at 30 to 35 meters and is dotted with boulders and coral heads that are covered with large fans and colorful soft corals.

Just east of the island for pinnacles break the surface, while a number of submerged pinnacles are found off the south side. Western Rocky’s unique feature is a large tunnel that runs right through the middle of the island. Inside this tunnel you can see often a number of sleepy nurse sharks and scores of lobsters.

But Western Rocky is most liked for its fabulous macro life, a lot of soft corals and sea fans, a perfect place for underwater photographers. It's also a very good spot for night dives. You can expect many species of nudibranchs, crabs and shrimps as well as mollusks like cowries and murex shells. Possible even rarifies like harlequin shrimps an frogfish. Chances for meeting black tip and white tip sharks as well as the gray reef shark are possible. All in all a true world-class dive site!

Three Islets 

Three Islets at the Mergui Archipelago Myanmar Experience: *
Current: ***
Visibility: 5 - 20 meter
Depth: 5 - 30 meter
Snorkel Condition: good

Three Islets consists of one small island and two large rocks, all of which rise above the surface. Each could be considered a separate site; there is no way to see them all on a single dive, or even a full day of diving. All three are perfectly suited for multilevel profiles, with thriving marine life from the bottom to the surface.

Underwater, the combination of unusual topography and a tremendous variety of creatures makes this one of the best dive sites in the Mergui Archipelago. Nearly every square meter is riddled with crevices that provide shelter and holdfasts for an enormous volume of fish an invertebrate life.

At the east side you have got the possibility to dive along a wall, which is overgrown with gorgonian. Also a nice site for night diving. At the west side you find a coral reef softly sloping down. Lots of hard- and soft corals. It's a place for under water photographers, who are looking for snakes and the rare frog fish.

Aside from the marine life, another outstanding feature is a large canyon on the north end of the main island where you can encounter semi resident grey reef sharks. Past the canyon on the right you will find an opening to a tunnel that runs completely through the island and exits on the east side at about 15 m. Be sure not to disturb the several huge tawny nurse sharks that sometimes rest within the crevices as you pass through.

Twins Island (South Twin and Nord Twin) 

South and North Twins Island are located around 48 nautical miles west of Shark Cave. The Twin Islands waters are visited in the past by bull sharks, rainbow runners and eagle rays. One kilometer to the northwest of North Twin laid a series of sloping rocky ridges, these ridges have sea fan, and flower corals, lobster and many rays can be seeing there.  At the east side of North Twin Island, is the place to find lots of sea fans and soft corals. The rock boulders around the island are overgrown with sea Anemones, which move with the strong current. It's a spot for fans of drift diving. 

North Twin Plateau 

Myanmar North Twin Island      Experience: ***
     Current: ****
     Visibility:  15 - 25 meter
     Depth: 15 - 25 meter
     Snorkel Condition: not suitable
 A reef sloping along North Twin Plateau at 20m, featuring lots of different hard- and soft corals. An inviting spot for drift dives among the Myanmar Archipelago - Dive Sites. The boulders are carpeted in purple soft corals and spiny sea urchins. Ember parrotfish, powder blue surgeon fish and blue-ringed angelfish swim between the rocks. Cuttlefish can often be seen in the shallower areas and hawksbill turtles are common, especially on morning dives when they can be found resting under rocky ledges. Eggshell and tiger cowries sit on display, while small groups of goatfish fidget about between the rocks and over the coral substrate bottom. Juvenile harlequin sweetlips are in evidence, and around one particularly compact cluster of sea fans, school of checkerboard wrasse and small fish fry congregate.

There are larger table corals and porite mounds dotted with multicolored plume worms, and below the mound’s crayfish concealed in darker overhangs, Parrotfish, spiny foot and dog-faced pufferfish have taken up residency.

Little Torres Island 

Little Torres in Myanmar      Experience: **
     Current: ***
     Visibility:  15 - 25 meter
     Depth: 5 - 30 meter
     Snorkel Condition: sometimes
 
A steep dropping reef overgrown with lots of hard corals. A perfect place for underwater photographers in the Myanmar Archipelago - especially those who love Nudibranchs. Soft corals, red whip corals, mosaic corals, and table corals have all made the Torres Islands their home amongst the rocks. You'll see round batfish, long-nose and ornate butterfly fish and the awkward and clumsy, but beautiful azure moon wrasse.

High Rock 

High Rock diving in Burma      Experience: **
     Current: **
     Visibility:  5 - 10 meter
     Depth: 5 - 20 meter
     Snorkel Condition: restricted
 
You can see "High Rock" also from far away already. It's a small rock rising out of the water and has one single Banyan tree on topThe depth is only 18-25 m with plenty of soft coral and cup coral especially in the deeper parts. The many cracks and crevices and barrel sponges dominate the seabed with also common lionfish and bearded scorpion fish sheltering inside their rims from the currents. It's a dive site for lovers of the small animals and macro photographers. This spot offers also Sea Horses, and Nudibranchs and Ghost Pipe Fishamong others.
 
return to the Mergui Archipelago Dive Sites overview
 

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