DIVE
MYANMAR
MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO
8 DAYS DIVING LIVEABOARD
AVAILABLE OCTOBER - MAY
Open Water+
10+ Logged dives
Blackwater dive
Nitrox available
8 days dive in Burma undiscovered Mergui Archipelago
Our most popular Myanmar diving cruise featuring a full tour of the Mergui Archipelago
Day 1
Embarkation and Departure
Embarkation and Departure
- Meet at our dive center between 10 AM and 12 PM.
- At 2 PM, we will head to the immigration office to complete Thailand exit formalities and get the necessary stamps on your passport.
- We will then join the beautiful MV Smiling Seahorse to begin our adventure.
- After crossing the border into Myanmar, immigration officers will board at Kawthaung to perform the necessary border checks. Once all formalities are complete, we will set sail for the open sea!
- Shortly after sunset, we will host a departure ceremony to celebrate the start of our journey.
- It will then be time to enjoy your first delicious meal on board, before letting the waves rock you to sleep for your first night at sea.
Days 2 to 7
Exploration and Diving
Exploration and Diving
- Time to dive! We will do 4 dives per day in the Mergui Archipelago and the Burma Banks, weather conditions permitting.
- After each dive, a meal or snack will be served to help you regain your energy before your next immersion.
- Depending on the planned itinerary, we will do 1 or 2 dives on the last day.
Day 8
Final Dives and Return to Ranong
Final Dives and Return to Ranong
- Our last dive will finish no later than 9 AM.
- We will then head back to Kawthaung, where Myanmar authorities will return our passports after exit formalities.
- We will cross the border back into Thailand, where you will receive a new entry stamp.
- We expect to be back in Ranong around 4 PM.
⚠️ Important – Entry into Thailand
Please ensure your passport allows you to enter Thailand without a visa by land. If not, you must arrange the necessary visa or re-entry permit for Thailand in advance.
In Mergui Archipelago we will see
Our itinerary takes us through some of the most spectacular and remote dive sites in the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks. The exact route and number of dives at each site may vary depending on weather, sea conditions and currents.
1. South Twin Island
Located on the outskirts of the Mergui Archipelgo, South Twin Island is a spectacular introduction to the region.
The site features a dramatic landscape of huge granite boulders surrounded by hard coral reefs, with large schools of fish filling the blue.
If we’re lucky, this is also where we may encounter our first majestic manta ray of the trip. Even without these magnificent visitors, South Twin is a fantastic way to begin our diving adventure.
We finish the first day with a night dive, searching for some of the area’s fascinating nocturnal creatures, including pygmy squid, swimming morays, octopuses, candy crabs, cowries, and nudibranchs.
2. Shark Cave
Shark Cave is one of our favourite areas in the Mergui Archipelago.
The site features a spectacular swim-through and the opportunity to search for seahorses across three colourful dive sites located close together.
In the afternoon, conditions permitting, we may also visit a nearby local island, where you can discover a beautiful beach, a traditional fishing village and a Burmese temple.
3. Black Rock
Following a night crossing, we arrive at the famous Black Rock — an exposed basalt rock formation rising from the open sea and arguably one of the best dive sites in the Mergui Archipelago.
Black Rock acts like a magnet for marine life passing through the area and is incredibly rich in biodiversity.
This is where we hope to encounter the big stuff — manta rays, sharks and other pelagic species that may be cruising through the blue.
Because Black Rock is located far out in the open sea, conditions can be more challenging. Currents and exposure to the open ocean make this a very different style of diving compared with many other sites in the Mergui Archipelago.
4. North Twin & Pinnacle
North Twin and its Pinnacle offer further opportunities to encounter pelagic fish and larger marine life.
We love this area for its impressive schools of fish in the blue, combined with an abundance of tiny critters hiding among the enormous sea fans and colourful soft corals.
It is a great place to alternate between looking into the blue for passing pelagics and slowing down to discover the smaller creatures living on the reef.
5. Burma Banks
Heading even further west into international waters, weather and sea conditions permitting, we will travel overnight towards the legendary Burma Banks.
For divers lucky enough to venture this far, the rewards are exceptional. The area is known for excellent visibility and enormous underwater sandbanks, rising from depths of more than 400 metres to within around 15 metres of the surface.
This extraordinary topography makes the Burma Banks completely different from the diving found in Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago. The remote location and open-ocean environment create a truly adventurous and expedition-style diving experience.
The surrounding deep water also increases our chances of encountering larger and more elusive marine life.
Sharks of the Burma Banks
The Burma Banks are considered one of the best areas in the region for shark encounters.
We regularly look for nurse sharks, while more elusive species such as tiger sharks, leopard sharks, and grey reef sharks may also be encountered.
As always with wildlife encounters, sightings cannot be guaranteed—but the remote location and deep surrounding waters make this an exciting place to look for larger predators.
6. Western Rocky & Seafan Forest
On our return journey, we head towards an area known as Western Rocky.
Our first two dives may take us to Seafan Forest, where magnificent coral formations and the site’s exposed location attract huge schools of fish.
This is also one of our favourite places to search for the ever-grumpy stonefish, expertly camouflaged among the reef.
7. Western Rocky
Later dives bring us back to the beautiful main island and surrounding islets of Western Rocky.
One of the highlights is a spectacular swim-through, where we can cross beneath the island from one side to the other.
The area offers an exciting mix of marine life, from pelagic species in the blue to fascinating macro creatures hiding among the rocks and corals.
Final dive
On the last day of the trip, conditions permitting, we may explore a submerged pinnacle rising to around 18 metres below the surface.
This isolated underwater formation is exceptionally rich in marine life and offers one final opportunity to discover the incredible biodiversity of Myanmar’s waters.
With a little luck, larger pelagic species may also pass by during the dive, providing a spectacular finale to our adventure.
Blackwater dive
All cruises aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse, weather permitting, offer the opportunity to experience the incredible Blackwater Diving in the Andaman Sea.
If you’ve never experienced this unique style of offshore night diving, don’t worry! Before your first Blackwater dive, our team will give you a full presentation and safety briefing to explain what to expect and how to enjoy this unforgettable experience safely.
Logistics
✈️ 24-hour no-fly period
Please remember that you must allow at least 24 hours between your last dive and your flight. Our final dive usually finishes around 9:00 am.
For the latest flight schedules, check AirAsia.
🚌 Bus to Bangkok
You can also travel back to Bangkok by bus. The bus departs around 8:00 pm and arrives in Bangkok at approximately 5:00 am the following morning.
Please note: This itinerary is provided as a sample and may be modified by The Smiling Seahorse depending on the weather forecast, sea and diving conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.
8 Days / 7 Nights / 25 Dives
Price Per Diver
Rates valid from January 2026
Updating live exchange rates...
Standard Cabin
Air-conditioned | Shared bathroom | Twin or double bed
Deluxe Cabin
Air-conditioned | Ensuite bathroom | Twin or double bed
Master Cabin
Air-conditioned | Ensuite bathroom | Double bed