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Mergui Archipelago (Burma)

... history of the magical island world...

The Mergui Archipelago is the magical island world of Burmas southwest shore. It is stretching all the way down from Mergui in Burma to the Surin islands of Thailand, with the best access straight from Ranong. The area consists of more than 800 islands which vary in size from very small to hundreds of square kilometers.

In the 16th and 17th centuries the Mergui Archipelago was an important tradinging area of Asia and Europe.
Large ships left Mergui, the main harbour of then still Thailand, loaded with china and local porcelain, spices and silk, passed the various islands and rural waters in the Andaman Sea.

Sea pirates were hiding on several islands, one of them nowadays still known as 'Smugglers Cave", in order to take over control. One day war broke out however, and Burma finally conquered the area.

liveaboard scuba diving similan thailand - padi dive courses - Ranong Koh Chang - Aladdin Dive Safari

The British secured somehow the dangerous Malacca Strait and Penang and Singapore were founded. The main trading
route became forever history and the Mergui Archipelago turned isolated.

When the British took over the region in 1826, they found it almost deserted of people. Two hundreds years of war and guerilla warfare between Siam and Burma had made the once prosperous population of Mergui completely flee.
Nowadays little is left known of the route, and it's mystery is covered in deep forest and untouched reefs.

The only human inhabitants in the area are the Moken, also known as Salones or Water People, or better understood as Sea Gypsies. The Moken are a nomadic sea-faring tribe, and is believed one of the oldest in the world.

They still practice the same fishing and boat building techniques used for generations. During several months in a year, during dry season, each Moken family lives on a wooden boat. During rain season, they seek shelter on some islands by making little huts of bamboo or anything that can be useful. Their society has different cultural values from those offered by modern society. They do not participate in economic, social or even cultural development of the country they live in.

The Mergui Archipelago has been closed to foreign tourists since the independence of Burma from the British Empire in 1948.

Diving in Burma

... numerous dive sites to discover ...

The archipelago's virtual isolation from mankind's influence on the natural environment has given the islands and the surrounding waters of the Andama Sea a great diversity of flora & fauna, contributing to the region's growing popularity as a diving destination. Since 1997 few liveaboards started to enter the untouched Burma.

The unspoiled terrestrial scenery of this high-profile limestone and granite topography, offers lots of nature above and under sea level. Dense brush- and rainforest cover most areas above high-tide line, while vast stretches of magnificient white-sand beaches are interspersed with rocky headlands, tidal creeks, varieties of mangroves, forests, wild life, lagoons, caves, freshwater falls and freshwater rivers.

Underwater this region offers scenic reefs, fantastic topography and profilic fish and invertebate life.

There is a good chance of seeing big animals, especially sharks and rays. Other attractions are the tremendous variety of smaller fish and reef creatures, including many unusual species, some of which are only home to the Mergui Archipelago.

Four types of diving can be found in the Archipelago:
inshore fringing island reefs, offshore fringing reefs, pinnacles and small rocky islands which rise from the depths and attract larger marine life such as sharks and rays, and banks which rise up from depths of over 300+ meters...

Some Examples

3 Islets (also named Shark Cave)

Combines an unusual topography and a tremendous variety of creatures. It makes this site one of the best dive sites in the Mergui Achipelago. Nearly every sqare meter is riddled with crevices that provide shelter and holdfasts for an enormous volume of fish and invertebrate life.

Typically, from the moment you leave the surface, you'll be surrounded by schools of silversides and fusiliers that trying to avoid the jacks and bonitos harassing them around the clock. Before you look at the reef, it is worth doing a survey of the surrounding sea floor for big rays or sharks.

Western Rocky

A small limestone island with several nearby outcroppings, offers fascinating underwater topography, big animal potential and abundence of invertebrate and fish life. The nearly vertical sides of the pinacles and the main island are ideal for multilevel dives. A large tunnel runs completely through the island, and there are several small caverns and huge arch-ways. On occasion, even rarities like clawed reef lobster, harlequin shrimp and the perfectly camouflaged frog fish are encountered.

Black Rock

A natural magnet for marine life to compare with 'Richelieu Rock' in Thailand. The small, steep limestone island's underwater terrain consists of sloping reef to the north and east sides, while the south and west sides are mostly walls, dropping vertically from the surface to more than 40 meters.
Reef fish are also abundant with black-spotted pufferfish, spotted hawkfish, scorpionfish and all sorts of angelfish. Deeper areas are frequently visited by schooling fish, like snapper and jacks, while fusiliers are common at every depth. Sharks are a real possibility as well, with a chance of seeing leopard sharks, grey reef- and spinner sharks. Spotted eagle rays and mantas also make fairly regular
appearance.

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