Scuba Diving in Myanmar
The Mergui Archipelago (also Myeik Archipelago or Myeik Kyunzu) is an archipelago in far southern Myanmar. It consists of more than 800 islands, varying in size from very small to hundreds of square kilometers, all lying in the Andaman Sea. The archipelago's virtual isolation from most of mankind's influence on the natural environment has given the islands and the surrounding waters of the Andaman Sea a great diversity of flora and fauna, contributing to the region's growing popularity as a diving destination. Due to the archipelago's remoteness, a live aboard cruise is the only way for visitors to go diving in areas with names such as Big Bank, Rainbow Reef or Silvertip Bank.
Some islands have huge boulders, soft corals and gorgonians. Others offer wall diving, caverns, tunnels and drop-offs. You can see the shark cave residents and visitors include nurse and whale sharks. Furthermore, shoals of devil rays and manta rays are frequently seen.
Dive sites such as Shark Cave feature grey reef, bull, nurse and whale sharks. Black Rock has manta rays and schools of mobula (devil) rays. Photographers are attracted by frogfish, ghost, ribbon eels and cowries as well as many crustaceans such as lobster, crabs, and shrimps. The best diving conditions exist from December to April, with whale sharks and manta rays visiting from February to May.
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