Top Level Dive Cruise to the Mergui Archipelago
If there is one thing we can say about this last trip in the Mergui Archipelago… it is all said in the title! As an introduction to this new season, it gives us high hopes 😉
You can see the smiles on the faces of our happy customers! It was a great atmosphere on board thanks to: Claudio from Argentina, Ricardo from Spain, Ann-Marie from Ireland, Claes from Sweden, and Ghislaine and Alex from France!
We saw so much stuff that I don’t even know what to start with… So we will start huge!
That must have been the best unexpected encounter of the week… on a night dive, when you just see this big guy coming straight towards you, that is an experience!
And then, meeting two fatty nurse sharks resting together in a narrow cave…
Abundant Marine Life and Thriving Coral Reefs
What was amazing first was the sheer number of fish, everywhere on every single dive site!
Glassfish were all around…
And second, there was big and small marine life everywhere! That is what makes Myanmar diving so unique and different. We encountered nurse sharks, white-tip reef sharks, and rays…
We saw an incredible number of cuttlefish and octopuses—even some mating! 😉
Amazing patterns and colours… Can you guess what this is?
The reef featured fantastic corals and stunning sea fan forests…
We didn’t even need to beg the divers to complete four dives a day! Underwater, it looked more like a vibrant aquarium:
Back on the boat, we were exhausted but happy! There was still plenty of energy left for a cold drink—after the last dive of course—or a round of Yams!
More Surprises and Macro Marvels
And the morning after, here we were going again right back into the middle of the fish! We spotted clownfish nestled in their anemones, venomous lionfish, and angelfish alongside fresh nudibranch eggs.
Down in the sand, there were lovely surprises too, including a curious scorpionfish and our first stonefish of the season—though he never looks very smiley anyway! 😉 We also spotted charming juveniles like a blue angelfish and a tiny seahorse.
Last but not least, we explored the macro world of the tiny creatures! We found colourful nudibranchs and all kinds of shrimp—durban dancing, squat, glass shrimp, zanzibar shrimp, and even a spearing mantis shrimp!
Of course, we also found our absolute favorites: majestic tiger-tail seahorses and Franck’s favorite, the graceful Spanish dancer!
This time, we had a special guest on board—Camille (our office boss), who was enjoying a fun holiday cruise!
Island Hopping and Breathtaking Sunsets
During our island-hopping stops, we enjoyed lovely glimpses of local life, alongside stunning views from above the water:
We experienced crazy skies, vibrant sunsets, and an unforgettable golden sunset over Black Rock…
To finish off a wonderful trip, congratulations to our students: Claes for completing his Open Water, Advanced, and Nitrox courses, and Ann-Marie for earning her Nitrox certification!
Special thanks to Ghislaine and Alex—it was an absolute pleasure to welcome you back on the MV Thai Sea. See you next year! 😉
