Myanmar
In the north Andaman Sea, lies the largely undisturbed seas of Myanmar. This area was only opened up to toursim back in 1997, most of the islands and surrounding areas are completely uninhabited and remote.
Divers can expect in the archipelago include a large group of barracuda, dogtooth tuna, batfish, unicornfish and trevallies. Bigger pelagics such as manta rays, whale shark, and grey reef and white tip sharks may put in an appearance. There is a plethora of reef and dive site types to see; some islands have huge boulders covered with soft corals and sea fans, while others offer wall diving, caverns, tunnels and big drop-offs.
Liveaboard Diving in Myanmar :
The Mergui Archipelago and the Burma Banks
The Mergui Archipelago and the Burma Banks are a collection of more than 800 individual islands located in the Andaman Sea, belonging to Myanmar. Owing to the archipelago's remoteness, liveaboard cruises are the only way for visitors to go diving in area.
Dive sites such as Shark Cave feature grey reef, nurse shark and marbled sting rays. Black Rock has manta rays and schools of mobula (devil) rays. Photographers are attracted by frogfish, ghost pipefish, ribbon eels and cowries as well as many crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs, and shrimps.
The best diving conditions are similar to neighbouring Thailand, from October to May, with whale sharks and manta rays typically visiting more regularly from February to May. Some liveaboard trips focus purely on Burma but many boats also include the best Thailand dive sites of Richelieu Rock and Koh Bon in their itineraries.
The nearest port for liveaboards operating to these islands is from Ranong, a small city situated just at the very southern tip of Myanmar boarding Thailand. All guests must reach Ranong by crossing the border from Thailand only, as it's not from directly within Myanmar.
