Dive Sites of the Mergui Archipelago
The most famous dive site in Mynamar, Burma Banks - enormous, flat top sea mounts - rise to within 15 m of the Andaman Sea surface, before plunging back down into the surrounding 300 m deep waters.
The Banks - Big Bank, Silvertip bank, Rainbow Bank and Roe Bank, plus Coral Bank and Heckford Banks, offer some adrenaline-rich open ocean diving, and shark encounters are virtually guaranteed. Two to three metre silvertip and nurse sharks are frequently seen, with occasional grey reef shark sightings - you are never sure just what you might see here.
Heckford bank lies 20 km or so north of Roe bank and is the deepest of the Burma Banks diving sites, topping out at 21-25 m. Sivertips are quite common here. When you're in the water you'll be mesmerised by these impressive creatures, as they cautiously circle you. Tawny nurse sharks are also easily spotted, as they doze half-hidden under the overhangs created by the table corals that dot the flat seascape here.
Roe Bank reaches 17-21 m deep and, like its neighbour to the north, is characterised by hard table corals, limestone rocks covered with black coral bushes and fans and coralline algae (Halimeda Micronesica), and interspersed with sandy patches, but also with massive growths of porites corals, smothered in colourful christmas tree worms, and white and pink wire corals. There are masses of fusiliers - yellowback, golden dash and neon - packs of striped bridletooths and powder-blue surgeonfish.
At Silvertip Bank, 18 km east of Roe Bank, you can look overboard through the crystal clear waters and often see great barracuda and potato cod cruising along the bottom, 15 m below. The profile here has more variety, and you can make your way through the gullies checking out octopus, moray eels, bignose unicornfish and large red snappers. To the south east is a deeper slope to 40 m, and here you can catch a glimpse of the skittish whitetip and blacktip reef sharks.
The Banks is quite virgin dive territory and visited by only a handful of Burma liveaboard cruises. Due to its exposed location, you can expect advanced drift diving in some strong currents, whilst checking out pelagics and larger reef fish species.
Reef Basics: Sea mounts and big shark action
Depth: 15 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 40m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 25 - 28°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Diving Season: October to May
PADI Course Suitability: Great for drift diving
Distance: ~125 km west of Kawthaung (7 hours)
Access: Burma liveaboard diving from Phuket, Khao Lak and Ranong in Thailand
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