Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks
The Mergui Archipelago comprises 800 small islands north and east of Burma Banks. Some islands offer huge boulders, soft corals, sea fans, and excellent visibility. Others, such as Black Rock and Shark Cave, offer wall diving, caves and drop-offs.
All have remained relatively untouched by the passage of time these last 50 years, and they maintain an out-of-this-world mystique of years gone by. When voyaging in Mergui on a Burma diving liveaboard you really can forget your worries, on a journey of discovery, unhurried by time and untroubled by others, as you explore these fascinating islands alone.
Residents and visitors to these islands include grey reef, Zambezi, nurse and whale sharks. Schools of mobula rays and manta rays are also frequently seen. The Mergui Archipelago is equally attractive to macro enthusiasts too, with plentiful clown frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish, ribbon eels, as well as masses of lobsters, crabs, and shrimps.
Burma scuba diving is exploratory frontier diving in pristine environments, with new sites being discovered all the time. One of the main attractions is that you never know just what you might see!
Diving Season
The season for diving in Burma Mergui Archipelago runs from October to May, and the best diving conditions exist from December to April, with whale sharks and manta rays visiting from February to May.
Reef Basics
Great for: Large animals, small animals, underwater photography, dive value-for-money and advanced divers
Not so great for: Wrecks, beginner divers, snorkelling and non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 5 - 50m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 25 - 28°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: >50
Distance: ~280 km north of Phuket (14 hours), 60 km west of Kawthaung (3 hours)
Access: Liveaboard from Phuket, Khao Lak and Ranong in Thailand
Recommended length of stay: 5 - 10 days
Dive Sites
More detailed information on the dive sites of Burma:
Dive The World Recommendations: Black Rock, Shark Cave and Tower Rock.
Other sites that can be visited as part of a Myanmar liveaboard cruise:
Use our short form to grab your options for
 Dive Burma liveaboards enquiries
Map of Mergui Archipelago
Myanmar tourist information
Please Note:
The Myanmar authorities inform us that in 2001 Indonesian fishing boats caught all the silver tip sharks at Burma Banks. In 2002 Thai fishing boats caused extensive damage to the fish stocks at the southern dive sites, including Western Rocky, Rocky Peaks and South Twin Island. Fish stocks recover quickly and the Burmese Navy are now patrolling the archipelago's waters. The dive sites in mid- to northern Mergui have been unaffected by these foul practices, fish stocks continue to be healthy, and shark encounters are still common.
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