Burma diving cruise of 7 days and 6 nights : up to Black Rock

Burma diving liveaboard to Black Rock in a week

Itinerary of our dive cruise: ​
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  • Day 1: Meeting at our dive center headquarters between 10am and 12pm. 
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  • At 2pm we will head to the immigration office to get the necessary exit stamps from Thailand and then make our way to board the magnificent MV Smiling Seahorse. Upon crossing the border into Myanmar, immigration officers will board in Kawthaung and do the necessary border crossing screening. Once the paperwork is completed, we will head out to sea!
  • At sunset we will hold a ceremony to launch our voyage. Then it will be time for your first scrumptious meal before being rocked to sleep by the waves.​
  • We will be back to Ranong around 5-6 pm

The last dive ends no later than 9 a.m.
  • Day 2: KNOCK KNOCK, Dive briefing! Wake up to the friendly call of the ocean (and your eager dive guide) as we start the cruise with a day at South Twin Island. Sitting in the outskirts of the Mergui Archipelago, this dive site is quite scenic with consistent crystal visibility and a topography of huge granite boulders. We have even been lucky enough the start the voyage off in style with a guest appearance from a majestic manta ray. Macro lovers will also be treated to chances of ghost pipefish, seahorses and frogfish! We end the first day of diving with a night dive searching for pygmy squid, candy crabs, cowries and nudibranchs!
Two manta rays together at Black Rock
Two manta rays together at Black Rock
A nurse shark in it's cave
Nurse shark
  • Day 3: 4 dives around the very special Shark Cave, one of my favorites. In the afternoon we  will find a bounty beach where we can get some sand between our toes and we might also pass by a local fishermen village.
​Here there are chances to see eagle rays, grey reef sharks, nurse sharks sleeping in their cave, blotched sting rays, frog fish, leaf fish, Spearing Mantis Shrimp and many more. Beautiful coral also makes this a very colorful dive site.
  • Day 4: After a night of crossing, we will reach Black Rock, a small rock out in open sea. Here we are hoping for the big stuff like Sharks and Rays and whatever is passing… This is the place to go for "Manta Festival" with Manta rays coming in dozens from everywhere (no guarantee of course, but they are pretty common). The conditions this far in the open sea are a bit more challenging and currents make it a different style of diving to other areas of Mergui. This is probably the best dive site in Myanmar and is still seldom visited by divers.
Candy crab
Candy crab
Aerial view of North Twin
Aerial view of North Twin
  • ​​Day 5: Still quite far offshore we will spend the fifth day of the cruise at North Twin for more chances to cross paths with larger pelagic fish and megafauna. We love this dive site for the massive schools of tuna, barracuda and trevally out in the blue, as well as the wealth of tiny critters hiding among the giant sea fans and soft corals. There is also a sand patch where we can sometimes find sleeping zebra sharks! ​​
  • Day 6: The sixth day will be spent ion the neighbourhood of Western Rocky. The first two dives of the day will be spent exploring the scenery of Seafan forest. The magnificent corals attract many schools of fish and the shelter of the topography is a favourite pace of ours to search for stonefish. The last two dives of the day will be in around the main island and islets of Western Rocky. Here we will also have a night dive where we can see a vibrant mosaic of yellow soft coral polyps blooming in the darkness. Spanish dancers and all types of crustaceans can be observed here.  
Longfin comet
Longfin comet
scorpionfish hiding in corals
Can you spot the scorpionfish hiding in the coral?
  • Day 7: The last dive goes into a volcano where a group of black tip reef sharks likes to hang around…  this is also a special site where we can find seahorses and rare tropical fish like the longfin comet, the shaded batfish or the pineapple fish.
After the last dive we will go back to Kawthoung where there will be opportunity for some souvenir shopping and a refreshing local beer.
Once we get our passports back from the Burmese authorities, we will head back to Thailand where we get a new entry stamp. (30 days or 15 days depending on your country of origin).
See our Burma's dive sites

Black Rock, High Rock, Shark Cave, North Twin, Western Rocky, Seafan Forest, Volcano...

7 days/6 nights, 22 dives  
From Ranong 2pm
​to Ranong 5-6pm
​
Price per Diver 2023-2024
THB 57,000 in Standard cabin
THB 60,000 in Deluxe cabin
THB 63,000 in Master cabin
 INCLUDED
​• Full accommodation and board 
(Breakfast, Lunch, afternoon bites, Dinner) 
•  All soft drinks, drinking water, fresh coffee & tea
•  Fresh fruits, yogurt & snacks all-day
•  12 L scuba tank, Weights & Weight Belt 
•  PADI Professional Dive Guide (for up to 4 divers)
•  up to 22 Dives
•  Towels, reef-friendly amenities
•  Sea kayak and hammock ​​
NOT INCLUDED:

* You will have to apply for an E-visa for Myanmar, cost: 50$, port of entry: Kawthaung, link to apply
*  Burmese entry and diving Fees 210 USD / Pers (to be confirmed) 
​
. COMPULSORY IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN:
- PERSONAL INSURANCE 
(General Travel insurance is highly recommended)
-  Computer rental 300 THB/day
​​- Equipment rental 600 THB/ day​
. OPTIONS:
- 15L Tank 250 THB / day or 1,500 THB for the whole cruise
-  Nitrox : 250 THB/tank or 4,500 THB for the whole cruise
-  Private guide 3,000 THB/day ​​
-  Optional Blackwater dive 500 THB/ dive
. COURSES:
-  PADI Courses
-  Photographer private coaching

​. Transfers to and from the boat on-demand
​. Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes 
. Gratuity/ tips (1000 THB / day /pers is common practice)​
Note: This itinerary is provided as sample itinerary and can be modified by The Smiling Seahorse based on weather forecast, dive conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
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2 of the latest reviews on our liveaboard

The Smiling seahorse Andaman Dive cruises
Review: 5, based on 176 reviews "Exceptionnel" by , written on March 16, 2023
I spent a week on your boat recently, from February 20 to 25 in the Similan. I want to tell how happy I was during this week on this boat. The crew (Thai) and the organization were remarkable in every way and I thank you for sharing with them the pleasure I had to spend this week on board. The navigation, the cleanliness of the boat, the kindness of the crew and the quality of the welcome were perfect. The quality and diversity of the food were also very good (except for the scale on the way back...). The Dive Staff (James, Mint, Joon and Julien) is just as friendly and competent, we had a great time with them. Of course, I would like to give a special mention to Julien who accompanied us during the whole week and shared with us his passion and his knowledge of the sites. I congratulate Franck and Camille on this project and the quality of the service. I will surely pack my bags again very quickly for a new moment with you. Good day, and good continuation...
★★★★★ by Olivier March 16, 2023
reviewed at Tripadvisor
Exceptional Liveaboard, I had great time!!
Review: 5, based on 176 reviews "Superb liveaboard diving with The Smiling Seahorse" by , written on April 10, 2023
I have recently returned from a North / South Andaman Sea Manta Ray Expedition with The Smiling Seahorse and I cannot praise the operation highly enough. Everything from the layout of the boat and it’s facilities, the way the dive groups were organised and managed, the attentiveness and professionalism of the crew, the accommodation, the food, the sites we visited …. All top notch! I have been on many day boats and liveaboards in Thailand over the last 10+yrs and The Smiling Seahorse is the best by far. Particular thanks to our dive guide James who’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the sites was fantastic, he always managed to get us into the best spots for fishy action and often away from other divers which was superb… really appreciated. Also thanks to Jamie who’s daily presentations on the the majestic Manta Rays were truly fascinating and added another dimension to the trip…. Best of luck with the Manta Ray Trust of Thailand! If I have any feedback to give would be about the food, it’s plentiful and delicious but a little more variety might be appreciated, it’s a very small improvement that would take my 10/10 to an 11/10! So, thank you Franck and the whole team… you have a very slick, professional, fun and great team around you… so much so, I’ve just booked to join you again next year on the Myanmar Manta trip! See you soon!!!
★★★★★ by Andrew April 10, 2023
Reviewed at Tripadvisor