800 unexplored tropical islands within an area of
nearly 20,000 sq. km along the coast of Myanmar (Burma)
- our
9
days liveaboard cruise to Mergui on our MV
Mermaid I promises to be the adventure of a
lifetime! |
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Closed by the government of Myanmar (Burma) in the 1940s,
Mergui was
opened up again only as recently as 1997. This
creates the opportunity to breathe compressed air where it
never had been breathed before.
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Mergui features a rugged, rocky terrain. Undoubtedly the main
attraction is the opportunity to observe a wealth of huge open-ocean
creatures, notably sharks, such as silvertrips, and pelagics,
including mantas and whale sharks. |
Above sea level, the
wildlife and scenery are equally impressing. Sea eagles and
kites circle and dive for fish, while parakeets fly over the
thickly forested islands.
The islands are largely uninhabited,
except for a scattering of Moken sea gypsies, who most likely
have never seen a foreign face before. There are even reports
that some wild elephants and tigers inhabit a few of these
islands.
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All diving in this area is done from liveaboard boats operating
out of Thailand. Charters on luxury yachts offer the chance
to combine diving and island exploration cruises for durations
of between 3 and 7 days.
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Corals are represented sporadically and the underwater terrain
is quite rugged. The area's greatest attraction is diving with
big fish, namely sharks, rays, and a wealth of pelagics. The
excitement at a number of the open-ocean sites is
undescribable. |
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The Burma Banks, 80 miles
from the coastline of Burma, are a plateau which descends
from a depth of about 15 metres down to about 200 metres.
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Here
the coral formations are not so spectacular, but a
visit there can be very rewarding - you can spot many
shark species, some of them reaching lengths of 3
metres! |
The
most spectacular dive site in the region is the Black Rock,
which also attracts a huge
variety of sharks as well as frequent schools of manta rays. |
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There is a healthy array of smaller reef life at many sites
and several of these sites are very good for snorkeling. North
Eastern Little Torres for example has a relatively shallow
plateau with plenty to see, while fringing reefs off the
beaches on larger islands are also suitable. |
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