Exploring the Southern Mergui Archipelago: Sea of Wonders
To a group of five Austrians, one Norwegian added himself, and together we are heading to the south of the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar!
Sea of wonders, I have missed you… Once more, we are alone at every dive site and feel privileged to witness all the healthy marine life here.
We brought our new toys with us: sea scooters that we can finally try out on real dives. So cool! Diving takes on a whole new dimension.
Volcano: Exploring the Interior of the Island
We make our first dive at “Volcano”. We go into a swim-through to discover the interior of the island. Not a sound from the outside world. Peaceful is the word that describes it best.
A few birds circle the sky, but the monkeys are not part of the party today.
A New Dive Site on the Way to Western Rocky
We then explore a new dive site on the way to Western Rocky. While we have never dived this site before, it is once again full of good surprises.
Cuttlefish run away when we surprise them on the sandy bottom, telling us through black clouds of ink that they did not appreciate the encounter quite as much as we did.
We decide to stay around for our night dive. Spanish dancers are out in their party clothes. One of them is swimming, and its dance is mesmerising.
Back onboard, we appreciate a delicious dinner made of Thai delicacies and cruise in the direction of Western Rocky.
Western Rocky: A Food Frenzy Underwater
We make our first dive the next day around 7 am. The food frenzy is on!
Schools of fish of all colours are feeding or hunting. The small ones feed on the coral reef, while larger ones try to get a bite of the chubbier ones when they are not looking. Tuna, at the top of the food chain, come in and out of our sight.
The Cathedral at Western Rocky
We then explore the Cathedral, a beautiful tunnel through the island. One part has a very high triangular ceiling, which has given it its name.
It ends in a smaller tunnel where numerous lobsters have found a comfortable home.
The ground is full of broken shells, proof that the cave was also used by nurse sharks. At this site, I cannot help comparing it to caves on land, used by bears.
Seafan Forest
Our next stop is Seafan Forest, with hundreds of gorgonian sea fans hiding nudibranchs of all colours.
Looking up, we see schools of batfish and barracudas.
We take the opportunity to ride the sea kayak between two dives and explore the surroundings.
North Rock and Its Tiny Creatures
North Rock is our next stop. We are lucky to spot porcelain crabs in the anemone garden, while squat crabs are popping up from cracks here and there.
A Quiet Night in a Gorgeous Creek
We take the way back towards the east and stop in a gorgeous creek for the night. We wake up to a stunning sunset.
Visiting a Famous Bird’s Nest Cave
We ask for permission to visit a cave where birds make their nests, producing a famous and prized delicacy and making the cave a gold mine.
Unfortunately, we do not get the authorisation this time. They had some bad experiences in the past and no longer allow tourists to enter the cave. Too bad.
Slop Rock and the Journey Back
Our first dive is at Slop Rock, where we are welcomed by some blue-spotted stingrays and many colourful nudibranchs.
Back to the Mergui Archipelago
We go back to Ranong for two days and then head back again to the Mergui Archipelago for six days on the 11th.
Keep on reading, keep on commenting, more stories to come soon!
2 Responses
Nice…. you guys are having fun there with Yacht it’s really cool i like it 🙂
Thanks for reading my blog and glad you like it.
Yes, diving in myanmar is fantastic, you should come one day to check it out!