Welcome to Underwater photography, Dive site guide & Marine life ID for the Andaman Sea and Mergui Archipelago.
The Andaman sea stretching across Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) is home to over 1500 different species of marine life. These warm tropical waters are so abundant with life they attract large numbers of scuba divers from around the world every year.
Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) like this 7m female are frequent visitors to Richelieu Rock during the months Jan-April.
The Marine Life Identification and Dive Site guide of the Andaman sea/Mergui Archipelago covering Thailand and Burma (Myanmar), is a comprehensive list of marine creatures, including detailed dive site descriptions and colour reef maps with a focus on underwater photography. Thailand's Andaman Sea with locations like the Similan Island's not only take your breath away on the surface, underwater it leaves you regretting you didn't buy that larger memory card. Sites such Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock north of the Similan island's must not be missed on your visit and provide for some breath taking dives. Burma/Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago has a rich variety of marine creatures set amongst 800 largely unexplored islands, and a visit to places like Black Rock, Western Rocky and Shark Cave is a must.
BBC publish two of my underwater images online.
The BBC wrote an article about two Loggerhead turtles that they released back into the wild after they got washed up on a UK beach during the winter. They requested that readers send in their turtle shots and a couple of mine got put the BBC News website, click here to see the shots. The images were publish on the 1st July 08 so I dont know how long the link will stay active.
NEWS - Shop Online now for you favourite pictures
Underwater Images Shop Online. The online shop features over 100 underwater images shot around the Similan Islands and Burma. There are also colour reef maps available for the dives sites in Burma and a growing collection of surface shots from around the region. All pictures are hi-res jpeg images and are up to 3872x2592 pixels(10mp) and make for ideal wallpaper, screensavers, underwater stock images or perfect 16"x10" prints.
Black Rock colour reef map is nearly complete, any comments please post in the forum Click HERE
Similan Islands March 27th-2nd April 2008 pictures
I have posted up some of the pics from the last trip, Click HERE to take a look.
NEWS - Burma/Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago reef guide and colour dive site map
The colour reef map of Black Rock is almost complete and I thought I would post a small thumb for you to have a look at. I will revamp each of the Burma dive site guides and Burma colour reef maps as the new ones are finished and put larger pictures up.
Hin Daeng, Hin Muang & Phi Phi 16-19th March 08 Pics and report
We welcomed 14 guests on board Santana's MV Discovery and set out for Racha Yai for the night dive just after sunset. Dropped in around 8:30 on Staghorn reef and drifted south along the staghorn corals watching the feeding moray eels, lionfish and the ocasional sleeping parrotfish. We then headed off overnight for the first dive at Hin Daeng. To see the pictures and read the report click here
Hin Daeng, Hin Muang & Phi Phi March 08 Pics and report
It was a little windy as we left Patong bay and it was a 9 hour journey to the first dive at Hin Muang in the morning so it was going to be a night of broken sleep for some of the guests not used to the waves, but it was worth it for the Manta rays. To see the pictures and read the report click here
Burma 5th Feb 08 trip report and pictures
With 14 of us we had to make two trips with all the gear and bodies. It was around 7 when we finally got everything on the boat and the briefing complete. We then got some well earned food and we set off at just after 8. We were heading to Similan for the first dive of the trip and to see the pics and read the report click here
Blacktip shark - Carcharinus limbatus Phi Phi Island, not to be confused with the Blacktip Reef Shark - Carcharinus melanopterus
Latest Trip pictures from Hin Daeng Hin Muang 1-3 Feb 08
We departed Patong Beach around 6 to yet another glowing sunset, cruising past Karon and Kata beaches we headed straight for Racha Yai to make a night dive. After the briefing was finished and kit was setup, we jumped in the water around 8 along Stag Horn reef. Not to much report some Giant morray's, Octopus, sleeping fish. Always makes it a little more interesting when the first dive of the trip for some is a night dive :) We then set off to HD/HM for the morning dives. I had been hearing reports of regular Manta sightings so I was hopeful to get some good action as I knew that the reef was not at it's best after the damage it took last year. To see the pictures and to read more click here
Latest Trip report Burma/Similan tour 1-9th Dec 07.
Click here to see the latest report and pictures from Burma and the Similan Islands. We welcomed on board Santana Divings liveaboard MV Discovery 6 guest. Marcus, Kathrina, Volker, Olga, Frank and Michael. We sat down to dinner around 7pm and then watched the firecrackers on the front of the boat before our depature to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. The journey from Patong to Similans took a little over 6 hr as the sea was a little rough. The first dive was East of Eden on Similan Island No. 7 and just as I climbed into my BC and wobbled down to the dive platform I noticed my fins were gone. At first I thought it was one of the guys having a laugh but then soon realised that they must be lying on the sea bed somewhere between Similan and Phuket, we had been buddies for nearly ten years, they will be missed. The water was already blue but I managed to turn the air the same colour with my language. East of Eden turned out to be great as usual and if you want to read more and see the pics then click here.
Marine Life Identification
The Marine Life ID gallery has photo's of more than 300 different species and is still growing. The photo's have been taken over the last couple of years from dives sites around Thailand's Similan Island's and Burma's Mergui Archipelago.
Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) like this one in Donald Duck Bay are also found at East of Eden and Rocky Point in the Similan Islands
My Favorite shots from Thailand and Burma
The best of UW photo's includes some of my favorite pics from. This collection spans from Phuket to Burma and gives you a taste of what's waiting out there. The pictures in this gallery are replaced regularly.
Similan Islands and Burma Dive Site guides
These guides to Similan and Burma provide you information on the topography of the site, the kinds of fish you will find, including dive site and underwater photography hints for each dive site.
Forum
Post away and ask anything about the local diving, fish identification, equipment, photo technique or just to rant/rave.
This pair of Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera picta) were spotted on Burma's Black Rock.
Trip Report
Check out the forum for the latest trip reports. See for yourself in the Forum trip report. Some nice new pictures of the Painted Frogfish in bay No. 2 on Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket.