Mergui from Burma?

[jplant]

Any comments or advice on diving from Burma? Well aware of political considerations and have read the posts re environmental degradation in Burma Banks from fishing.

thanks

 

[ocdiver1]

I did a Mergui liveaboard that left from just over the border from Ranong about two years ago. It was on budget liveaboard whose name unfortunately I can't recall. I'd say the diving was superior to the Similans, but with no individual dive site that was as spectacular as Richelieu Rock. The underwater topography is the same as the Northern Thai Andaman with lots of big granite boulders. A big plus over the Similans was that we were always the only divers at any site. While I don't believe the area is protected like the Similans...there were lots of fishing boats and we noted fish traps at several dives, I'd say the fish life was still probably more prolific, and I saw far more sharks that I did on my Similans trip. Granted, this is only from the perspective of one trip to each area, but Mergui is an area worth going too, definitely something more off the beaten track and "different"

 

[Quero]

There are supposedly a couple of operators departing directly from Burma for diving in Burmese waters. It's not easy to get information about them, though, and the several times I've tried to email them, I've never received any reply. One is called Mergui Princess, but I think it's a charter operation and not a join-in. I have only been able to get reliable information about one dive resort in Burma. As far as I know, it's the only one in the entire archipelago, and it's an island-based one. The dive center is a branch of a German company that runs other centers around the world. The reviews, however, are terrible, and I wouldn't recommend it. Therefore, if you wish to dive in Burma, my advice is to get on a boat in Thailand and travel there from here rather than going straight from Burma itself.

As far as the actual diving in Burma, the big plus of it is that there are very few dive boats around. When I went up there myself to check out the diving, I found it wonderful that it was only our boat ever on a dive site. Other positives are some really beautiful dive sites such as Western Rocky and Three Trees, for example. The cons are the expense of the trip, partly due to the remoteness of the place and the amount of fuel it takes to get there, partly due to the high visa/park entry fees; the many bombed out reefs (you can actually often hear the explosions from continued dynamite fishing); the lack of any possibility for emergency medical evacuation in case of diving injury or ill health. My customers who have gone up there recently have not given glowing reviews, all things considered. However, frontier diving has its attractions, and if you're ready to accept the drawbacks I listed in the "cons," you might find that a trip to Burma is just the thing.