Diving Burma's Mergui Archipelago Island Paradise
Burma's Mergui Archipelago consists of over 800 islands scattered over 10,000sq Km of ocean with only a handful of them inhabited. Since Burma has pretty much closed it's doors to the rest of the world not much is known about the island chain. In 1997 The Burmese government opened up and allowed diving expeditions to enter their waters. Even today ten years on there are still only a handful of boats making these trips and charting new dive sites. The islands themselves have breath takeing beach's and bays, so is worth a trip on land. Here you will feel completely alone as the only people you will find out here are few sea gypsies and the odd longtail fishing boat. This has to one of the last places on earth that has been relatively untouched and unexplored.
Tyron Risbecia - Tyrons Risbecia
There are so many islands and dive sites to explore that I have only covered the most popular. From an underwater photographers point of view Burma has something for everyone. It has a very impressive macro selection and a diverse range of Nudibranch's, shrimp, seahorses, pipefish. At the other end of the scale we have Manta ray's, large Blotched fantail and Jenkins Ray's as well as White tip sharks, Grey reef sharks, Bull sharks. Last but not least Whale sharks are frequent visitors to places like Black Rock, Fan forest, Western Rocky and Shark cave.
Black Rock
This is the premier dive spot in Burma and can provide action packed, adrenalin rushing dives with Manta Rays, Bull sharks, Reef sharks and Whale Sharks. This small pinnacle about 10m wide by 90m long, lies around 100km from the mainland and is completely barren and lifeless on the surface. Underwater however this is a very different story, the pinnacle lies in the north to south direction and is surrounded by deep slopes on the east and south to 50m+, while the west is a wall dropping off to over 40m and slopes off to 60m.
Color dive site map for Black Rock
Dive Tip
The diversity of marine creatures here is amazing for such a small lonely rock in the middle of the sea. It is a gathering place for pelagic fish like Barracuda (Sphyraenidae), Trevally, Tunas not to mention the various types of Sharks (Elasmobranchii) and Stingrays (Dasyatidae). For those who like the big stuff I find that you must go a bit deeper to find the sweet spot where all the action is happening. If you drop off on the shallower east side, swim out east till 35-50m, then make and arc south west scanning the depths for Bull, White tip, Leopard and Grey reef sharks. Also look in the sand and behind the boulders for large Blotched and Jenkins fantail rays. Once on the south corner which is smothered in magnificent anemones you can the move along to the wall on the west side which is covered with soft coral and is home to many type of nudibranch's, shrimps, moray eels, pipefish, scorpion fish, lionfish. These can be deep dives strenuous dives so plan well for bottom time and air consumption. For the second or third dive there is plenty to see around the 5-25m depth all the way round the pinnacle. On the East side there are plenty of soft corals and see fans scattered amongst the boulders, look around there for Seahorses, Ornate ghost pipefish, Spindle cowries, Squat lobsters. Also making an appearance are Mantis shrimp, mating Cuttlefish, Octopus some very giant morays, unusual Nudibranch's and Flat worms.
The visibility here goes from 40m and is great for spotting the pelagic marine life and to 15m during plankton blooms which is ideal for encounters with Whale sharks and Manta's. While the current may be strong here, if planned properly you can still have a great dive. The currents flow in a north east on a rising tide and south west on the falling tide. This can make for some very strong currents on the corners and is often where the action can be found. Due to the rocks orientation it is possible to jump in, drift along the either side until you reach the corner. The water here tends to flow down the rock and with the good visibility is very deceiving and is easy to reach 50-60m. This can lead to a strong swim against the current to get back to the pinnacle and not so much fun at 40m+ with your computer screaming ascend and your dive buddy signaling 50bar, be cautious and plan well for the conditions!!
Nudibranch - Roboastra arika
Photo Tip
The good thing about diving here is that you will normally spend the whole day and do 3-4 dives so it gives you the opportunity to go for the larger marine creatures on the first dive. As the sharks and rays tend to be 35-40m+ the light is very minimal and the sharks keep their distance, I would recommend strobes for the rays as you can normally approach reasonably close. The sharks on the other hand keep their distance and to far for strobes. I suggest manual white balance mode and due to the lower light condition maybe increasing the ISO level between 200-400 to allow more available light reach the sensor. The use of a red or green water filter will help and add colour and contrast back to the picture. It is not uncommon here to have large amounts of plankton particles in the water reducing the visibility so using strobes for some wide angle shots will produce snow and backscatter.
Western Rocky
This is another small barren island with three pinnacles rising out of the water on the east side. The main island has a very interesting cave that starts 5m-23m and runs through the island 30m or so to the other side. West of the cave entrance you will find a an arch that provides an atmospheric swim though and is covered with sponges on the inside. Outside of the cave you will find walls covered with soft corals, sea whips and sponges dropping down to the sand at 30m. The three pinnacles to the east provide another interesting dive and forms a channel with steep walls between the island on the west and a sloping reef on the east side of the pinnacles down to a sandy bottom at 35m.
Pharaoh Cuttlefish - Sepia pharaonis.
Dive Tip
The cave here is very interesting and is alive with different types of lobsters, check the white sponge inside the cave for small white and yellow painted frogfish. Also this cave is a favorite resting place for large Tawny nurse sharks (Nebrius ferruginous) often found sleeping side by side during the day. On the exit of the cave on the north side you can go left and follow the coral encrusted wall around you will find the archway around 18m. Using a torch here is useful as there are lots of cracks in the rock to check out for small critters. If when you exit the cave you turn right keep a look out in the deeper sandy area for Bull sharks and other common reef sharks and large fantail rays. Following this area of the reef leads you to the channel where you can continue around the main island or swim across the channel and explore the sloping reef area around the outer pinnacles. This is one of the best night dive spots in Burma due to the fact that the wall is so densely covered in soft corals. The walls become as glowing blanket of greens, oranges and yellows as the cup corals light up under the torch light. Keep a look out on your night dive for those nurse sharks that were relaxing in the cave, White Tip reef sharks, Blotched fantail rays feeding. You will find lobsters, Anemone crabs, White spotted hermit crabs, Splendid round crabs and much more.
Photo Tip
This is one of the great macro sites in Burma and you will find many different type of Nudibranch's, so make sure the macro lens is at the ready. The cave is home to Painted and Long legged spiny lobsters, marble shrimp, decorator crabs, frogfish. Be careful of the entry as this has a sandy bottom and with a large group of divers it is easy to kick up the sand and ruin the rest of the shots because of the particles floating around in the water. Outside the cave the island is peppered with small caves, cracks and hole that provide homes for nudibranch's, flatworms, frogfish, squat shrimp, large scorpion fish. Strobes are a must as the water can become very green here which means ambient light is reduced.
- Antennarius commersoni 256x192.jpg)
Giant Frogfish (red phase)- Antennarius commersoni.
Burma Banks
The most famous dive spot in Burma, the banks (Heckford, Roe, Silvertip, Big and coral) are plateau's that rise 15-25m below the surface and yet are surrounded by water over 300m deep. Here you wont find any deep drop offs as the reefs slop down to around 40m then gently sloping sandy desert to 60-70m, then another drop to 80-100+m. However due to their length some over 2km long by 500m wide the Burma Banks make for some great drift diving through the crystal clear 40m visibility There are gardens of hard corals and huge bommies that are scattered across the plateau and a chance to see those large pelagic fish drifting by.
Dive Tip
Due to the distance form the next island it is normal to spend 1 or possibly 2 days exploring all the different banks(come back soon for the GPS locations). This depends on the weather and since the Banks are more than 140km from the mainland they can experience some choppy seas. Silvertip bank is the shallowest at 15m and a mooring line is in place on the south east corner close to the slope south and east. Here it is a 5 min swim to the slope and the chance to catch sight of those Silvertip sharks(Carcharhinus albimarginatus). Heckford, Coral and Roe banks are very similar but a little deeper at 21-25m and have no mooring line. Currents can be very strong so you must use a depth finder to find a suitable drop in point depending on current direction of course. Currents here are variable and may change direction a number of times during a single dive. It is getting rarer to see sharks at the Burma Banks and after diving here for the last 5 years I have seen a decline in shark numbers, but this is a global issue not only here. The Banks still have plenty of Red toothed triggerfish (Odonus niger), snappers, fusiliers, damselfish, hawkfish, Leopard Blenny (Exallias brevis), nudibranch's masses of hard coral and great visibility.
Photo Tip
As is the custom to do three dives at the Banks you can either spend your dive time with a wide and lens and wide eyes searching for those elusive Silvertip sharks and miss all the other tings that the banks have to offer. I an the last season I have found more macro critters here than I could believe. I had always spent my time scanning the horizon afraid I was going to miss the shark, so what I have done is turn my attention to macro while hanging around the plateau waiting for big stuff. I was very surprised to find many cool macro critters here like many nudibranch's, flatworms, shrimps, frogfish. An unusual amount of White mouth moray's (Gymnothorax meleagris), Honeycombed Moray's, Leopard blennies so I am going to continue to look for macro here. With visibility being so good it makes for great wide angle shots in clear blue water. You will see loads of big coral heads that are swarming with Anthia fish and make for great scenic shots.
Marble Shrimp - Saron sp.
Sea Fan Forrest/ Hin Talay
A submerged pinnacle about 8km from Western Rocky. This pinnacle starts 5-6m below the surface and slopes down to over 50m. As you might have guessed from the name, this dive site is densely covered in huge Sea fans, soft corals and whip coral down to 40m. On the East side there are some twin cigar shaped rock formations at 30-35m, while the southern end is a wall covered with soft coral's down to 34m. On the West side a small plateau sits at 18m which then drops off to 30m+ and the north has boulders sloping down to 40m.
Dive Tip
The top of the pinnacle is quite small and there is no mooring, I advise the use of a shot line on top of the pinnacle to mark the entry point. The visibility here depends on the amount of nutrients in the water and can be from 10-30m. It is a hotspot for Pickhandle barracuda, Chevron Barracuda, Giant trevally, reef sharks and large ray's. Look in the sandy patches between the rocks for Leopard sharks napping and large Blotched fantail rays relaxing in the sand. The outer rocks on the east side at 35-40 are a good place to find the reef sharks who are often seen patrolling between the sea fans. Eagle and Manta rays are also frequent visitors, so if it goes dark all of a sudden look up, you may well be pleasantly surprised by a cruising manta or even a Whale shark or two! The current can be strong here and it is advised to make a negative entry so you get down quickly and can find shelter behind the reef. There is also lots of great macro along the reef and wall which have large and small cracks and crevices for things like Harlequin shrimp, Peacock mantis shrimp(Odontodactylus scyllarus), pipefish, Seahorses ,painted frogfish, numerous nudibranch types. Check out the sea fans for spindle cowries, Tiger egg cowries (Crenavolva tigris), squat lobsters.
Photography Tip
On this site you have to make the call to go macro or wide and is worth splitting dive teams accordingly. Those on the big hunt need to get down normally to 30-40 for the bigger reef sharks and stingrays to appear. It can get very dark and green down there so a good set of strobes is important but the water can be full of particles. For the macro lovers you can happily spend 1 hr slowly moving around the shallows 5-20m. Look out for female cuttlefish laying eggs under the rocks in the 5-10m range. Check the bottom of the wall where it meets the sand about 34 on the south side for Harlequin shrimp. The cigar shaped boulders at 35m on the east side is home to a rather large, old looking, pink Giant frogfish.
Giant Frogfish (Pink phase) - Antennarius commersoni.
Shark Cave/Three Stooges
This small island sits between two pinnacles which make up three separate dive sites. The main island has a channel that leads to a cave which that runs through the island to the opposite side and is one of the main interest point of this dive site. One of the highlights is that within the cave there is another smaller cave that is often occupied by large 1 or more very large Nurse sharks and Blotched fantail rays. The two outer pinnacles are smaller in size and are encircled by small coral encrusted rocks and boulders that descend down to the sand at 24m. They provide some interesting underwater architecture with pinnacles, slopes, and caves.
Dive Tip
When entering the channel on a heading of the north west side make sure you stay low to the bottom about 15m, there are sometimes Grey reefs sharks cruising around the channel. If you approach slowly and they will swim close by and look you up and down, if you all pile into the channel mid water, spewing bubbles you might see them for one or two seconds before the bolt to the other side of the cave. I have spent entire dives here just watching the sharks cruise in and out between the divers who remain motionless and relax. If you fail to see the reef sharks in the channel check out the small cave located at the end of the channel, on the right side surrounded by yellow sponge at 16m. Inside you will more often than not find either big Blotched fantail rays or 2-3m nurse sharks. This small cave also has an exit at the other end which joins the main cave exit onto the reef. However they are quite a tight fit and I would not recommend it as very often here there is strong surge which increase as you go through the channel towards the cave. When you exit the main cave on the north side you can either go left and following the sloping reef down to 24m, or turn right which is mainly a wall down to around 25m. This whole site is alive with small creatures so look for harlequin shrimp, squat shrimp, marble shrimp, tapestry shrimp, magnificent partner shrimp, mantis shrimp. Check the sea fans Tigertail seahorses, ghost pipefish, cleaner pipefish, check for Slender pipefish (Trachyrhamphus longirostris) in the sandy bottom about 5-10m away from the reef at 24m. Look closely in the sand for Crocodile fish (Thysanophrys otaitensis) lurking partially covered in the sand where it meets the reef, they are often found in pairs with just their mouth and eyes sticking out from the sand. Various types of Nudibranch, Flatworms are found along the reef and wall, with an assortment of Moray eels (Muraenidae) , banded sea snakes. Check the sea fans for different coloured Allied cowries and large spotted tiger cowries amongst the rocks.
Photo Tip
I am very careful with my camera on this dive in the cave as the surge here can be strong and it is very easy to put a scratch on that lens. Also I would not enter the small cave with a large camera setup as there is not much room for you, a bulky housing and a couple of big nurse sharks, with a lot of surge thrown in (this cave has many interesting dive stories attached to it). However this place provides some of the best macro I have found in Burma. The only problem is deciding what macro lens to use. With something like a 60mm you will get nice full framed shots. With something like a 105mm it is advisable to take a focus light as the water can be nutrient rich and very green and dark. With a 105mm, the lens to subject distance can mean that auto focus has a problem locking in on the subject due to low light levels and a focus light is advisable.
Banded Cleaner Shrimp - Stenopus hispidus.
High Rock
This small rock isn't as it's name suggests, about 5m and a solitary tree growing on the top. It is the closest dive site to Kaw Thawng, about 40km. Due to the proximity to the mainland the water contains more particles and the visibility ranges from 5-15m. To the north and east here you will all wall covered with small soft coral and cup corals dropping down to 25m. The south and west are sloping reef with scattered rocks and outcropings down to 25m.
Dive Tip
This site delivers a diverse amount of small critters and reef fish. There are many cracks, holes, small caves, crevices and some small overhangs for all the critters to hide. Dive slowly and spend time looking in those small dark places so bring a torch. Check out some of those old fishing ropes hanging across the rocks, they are home to some large oysters and they provide a great home for Tigertail seahorse's (Hippocampus comes), small painted frogfish and Ornate ghost pipefish. The frogfish can be a little harder to find due to their amazing ability to change their colour and blend into the background. In the sand keep and eye out for Blotched fantail rays and Jenkins rays. The sloping reef on the south and west has lots of small holes and are full of different White eyed moray eel's, Fimbriated morays, Scorpion fish, Sandperch and Lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) skipping across the rocks as you approach.
Tigertail Seahorse - Male - Hippocampus comes .
Photo Tip
I prefer to take a macro lens on this site due to the large amount of nutrients in the water the visibility can be quite low and dark. I regularly find the rays on the bottom but with so many particles in the water my pictures come out with so much snow or white glare I delete them. I find I get better results going macro and slow looking for the smaller stuff.