9 Days in the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks: A Memorable Final Trip of the Season

After nine days of exploring the Mergui Archipelago and the remote Burma Banks, far away from civilisation and the worries of the coronavirus pandemic, we finally returned to Ranong.

And with our return came the realisation that the season was officially over. Far too soon! 🙁

But before closing the book on the season, we had one last fantastic trip to enjoy. And what a trip it was! From tiny reef creatures to spectacular schools of fish, rays and turtles, we had plenty to keep us busy underwater. Most importantly, the Burma Banks delivered some unforgettable encounters with curious nurse sharks.

Let us show you what we found during our final Myanmar diving adventure of the season.

A Week of Frogfish Encounters

If we had to choose a theme for this cruise, it would definitely be frogfish.

We spotted a tiny giant frogfish around Square Rock, followed by an adult giant frogfish at Seafan Forest. And that was not the end of it: we also encountered several other frogfish around North Twin Pinnacle and Rock Head.

Frogfish are among the most fascinating animals to encounter while diving. Their incredible camouflage allows them to blend into their surroundings, making them notoriously difficult to find. Once you know where to look, however, discovering one can become one of the most rewarding moments of a dive.

Finding so many individuals during the same cruise made this a particularly memorable frogfish week for our divers.

Harlequin Shrimps, Seahorses and Mantis Shrimps

The smaller marine life was just as impressive. We were incredibly lucky to find two pairs of harlequin shrimps during the trip.

These spectacular little crustaceans are always a favourite with underwater photographers and macro lovers. Their striking colours make them stand out against the reef, but finding them still requires a good eye and plenty of patience.

We also encountered tiger-tail seahorses, plenty of colourful peacock mantis shrimps and a huge variety of nudibranchs.

And then came a particularly beautiful find: a juvenile pineapple fish. Juvenile fish can look remarkably different from their adult counterparts, making these encounters especially exciting for divers who enjoy searching the reef for unusual marine life.

Rays, Turtles and Huge Schools of Fish

Of course, it was not all about macro creatures. The bigger animals provided plenty of spectacular encounters too.

At North Twin, we came across majestic eagle rays. Around Shark Cave, we encountered marbled rays, while Jenkins stingrays made an appearance at Eagle Rock.

We also spotted hawksbill turtles during the cruise, while huge schools of chevron barracudas and bigeye trevallies were present around Western Rocky on almost every dive.

Watching a large school of barracuda move together around a dive site is one of those encounters that makes you stop and simply watch. Add bigeye trevallies, rays and turtles to the mix, and there was always something happening underwater.

The Highlight: Nurse Sharks at the Burma Banks

But I must say that the true highlight of the trip was our encounters with the nurse sharks at the Burma Banks.

They were everywhere!

And not only were there plenty of them, but they were remarkably curious and relaxed around the divers. The Burma Banks are famous for their remote location and encounters with large marine animals, and this dive certainly lived up to the reputation.

Ask Agnès, who was not exactly the most comfortable person around sharks! At one point, she found herself surrounded by them.

And the best part? She still had a great time!

That is one of the wonderful things about diving: sometimes an encounter can push you slightly outside your comfort zone and become one of the stories you remember for years afterwards.

The nurse sharks were not the only sharks we encountered at the Burma Banks. We also spotted silvertip sharks, adding another impressive predator to the list of encounters from this remote part of the Andaman Sea.

And while we were looking for sharks, we also found some gorgeous honeycomb morays hiding among the reef.

A First Night Dive for Palm

This cruise also marked a special milestone for our friend and colleague Palm, our dinghy driver and tank refiller.

It was his very first night dive!

After the dive, he came back with a huge smile and proudly told us:

“I’m not scared anymore!”

It was a great moment to share with the team. Night diving can feel completely different from diving during the day. The reef changes character after sunset, and even familiar dive sites can suddenly look completely new under the beams of dive torches.

Seeing someone experience their first night dive and come back excited rather than nervous is exactly the kind of moment that makes life on a liveaboard so special.

Congratulations, Iris!

The cruise was also a week of learning and progression. Congratulations to Iris for becoming a Nitrox diver!

With several days of diving on a liveaboard, Nitrox can be a useful certification for divers who want to understand more about enriched air and how it can be incorporated into their diving within the appropriate limits.

One Last Adventure Before the Season Ends

And just like that, our final trip of the season came to an end.

Nine days of diving around the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks gave us an incredible collection of memories: frogfish at several different sites, two pairs of harlequin shrimps, tiger-tail seahorses, peacock mantis shrimps, nudibranchs, a juvenile pineapple fish, eagle rays, marbled rays, Jenkins stingrays, hawksbill turtles, huge schools of barracudas and bigeye trevallies, silvertip sharks and, of course, those unforgettable nurse sharks at the Burma Banks.

It was certainly not the way we expected the season to finish, with the coronavirus pandemic bringing the diving season to an earlier end than planned. But we were incredibly grateful to have been able to enjoy one last adventure in these remote waters before returning to Ranong.

Thank you all for the fantastic time we spent together during this trip and throughout the season. Unfortunately, it finished much sooner than expected, but we will see you next year aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse for more adventures in the Andaman Sea.

The Smiling Seahorse Team