​The MV Smiling Seahorse kicked off the new diving season with a spectacular journey through the remote waters of Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago and the legendary Burma Banks. Departing from Ranong, our first group of adventurers — joining us from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, the US, and the UK — gathered with excitement at the pier.
After check-in, we completed the usual immigration formalities in Ranong before crossing the border to Kawthung, Myanmar. With passports stamped and smiles all around, we set course toward the mysterious Mergui Archipelago — a place of dramatic limestone and granit boulder islands, lush jungle cliffs, and some of the most vibrant underwater life in the Andaman Sea.

​Our check dive at High Rock was the perfect start, offering calm conditions and an easy descent into a thriving coral reef. Among the swaying soft corals, we spotted oriental sweetlips, butterflyfish, blue damsels, and curious bannerfish darting between the rocks — a beautiful welcome back to Burmese waters.
Our second dive took us to Three Islets (Square), alive with action! Schools of fusiliers and white tongue jacks swirled above the reef, while a tigertail seahorse and an orange-spotted pipefish delighted our macro enthusiasts. Blue-lined snappers, Moorish idols, and a few playful anemonefish added even more colour to the scene.
Dive three at Three Islets (Shark Cave) brought strong surges, so we explored around the island instead of entering the cave. The current carried schools of pickhandle barracudas past walls of soft corals where tomato anemonefish guarded their homes.
For the night dive, we returned to Shark Cave. Under torchlight, we found barracudas cruising the dark, parrotfish sleeping soundly in their mucus bubbles, a seal-face pufferfish tucked into a crack, and a curious pharaoh cuttlefish. We also encountered soldierfish, cardinalfish, and a few colourful wrasses hunting under the beams of our lights.
That night, we set sail toward the famous Black Rock.

​At sunrise, we descended on Black Rock’s north side, greeted by schools of bigeye jacks, barracudas, lionfish, and snapper clouds drifting in the blue.
Our second dive on the south side was pure magic — mantas! Not one, but four graceful oceanic manta rays soared through the current, looping and gliding as dogtooth tunas patrolled below.
The third and fourth dives kept the action going, with dense schools of jacks, fusiliers, and surgeonfish swirling through the water column. A leopard moray eel peeked from a crevice during the sunset dive, a perfect finale to a spectacular day.

​North Twin Pinnacle — the current-fed site teeming with barracudas, fusiliers, and red snappers. We admired tiger  egg cowries, moray eels, and a few curious dogtooth tunas cruising by.
At North Twin Reef, we met a banded sea snake weaving through coral bommies, an octopus changing colours before our eyes, and a squad of batfish gliding gracefully in the blue. Mantis shrimps and lobsters completed the day’s macro highlights.
After our final dive, the Smiling Seahorse set course westward for the Burma Banks — a legendary chain of submerged plateaus rising from the depths of the Andaman Sea, located about 180 km offshore. These vast, remote reefs are known for their big pelagic life and pristine coral formations.

​Our first dives at Roe Bank revealed a world of giants — several nurse sharks resting on the sandy bottom, a mangrove whipray, and schooling black surgeonfish weaving around coral heads. Dogtooth tunas patrolled the outer slopes, keeping smaller reef fish in constant motion.
At Rainbow Bank, the spectacle continued — nurse sharks again, a stunning marble ray, three honeycomb moray eels, and a vibrant reef alive with emperor angelfish, surgeonfish, batfish, and butterflyfish. A Maldives sponge snail was spotted nestled among the corals — a treat for our keen-eyed photographers.

​The morning dives at Coral Bank lived up to its name — hard corals in excellent condition, surrounded by nurse sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and a flurry of wrasses, triggerfish, and parrotfish.
At Silvertip Banks, the energy was palpable. Grey reef sharks patrolled the plateau, nurse sharks lounged near coral heads, and a swimming zebra shark passed by trough clouds of anthias, surgeonfish, and bannerfish shimmered in the current.

​Back among the islands, we explored Sea Fan Forest, where enormous gorgonian fans hosted ghost pipefish and schools of fusiliers and trevallies.
At Western Rocky Eagle Rock, large schools of white tongue trevallies and yellowfin barracudas filled the blue, while marble shrimps hid in the cracks.
Our sunset dive in Western Rocky Cave brought us face to face with two Glossodoris nudibranch protecting its eggs, curious cuttlefish, and colourful reef fish preparing for nightfall.

​We returned to Sea Fan Forest in the morning, spotting lionfish, devil scorpionfish, and a stunning fimbriated moray eel sharing a crevice with squat shrimps and a feisty spear mantis shrimp.
At Western Rocky Cave, a beautiful Chromodoris nudibranch added a pop of colour, while the final dives at Eagle Rock delivered dramatic cuttlefish mating and fighting scenes, plus a rare Pikachu nudibranch — the perfect finale for our photographers!

Our last dive at Dendro’s Peak brought one more burst of colour — schools of snappers, fusiliers, yellowfin trevallies, and even a curious yellow boxfish to send us off.
With the dives complete, we headed back toward Kawthung for our traditional Burmese beers and final immigration clearance before returning to Ranong. The first trip of the season set the tone perfectly — thrilling dives, great company, and the magic of the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks welcoming us back once again.
See you underwater on our next adventure with MV Smiling Seahorse!

​The Ocean is home to a diverse array of creatures, each with its own unique behaviors and adaptations. While we often associate sleep with land-dwelling animals, marine life exhibits an intriguing variety of sleep patterns that are both fascinating and essential to their survival. From the depths of the ocean to coastal regions, understanding how these creatures rest provides a glimpse into the intricate balance of life underwater.
But before we speak about sleeping, let's speak first about breathing: among marine animals, you have to separate animals who can breathe underwater and animals who hold their breath… as that has a major impact on their napping habits!

Fish can breathe underwater and don't need to reach the surface during their sleep!
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Unlike humans, most fish do not have eyelids, making traditional sleep indicators challenging to identify, indeed you will never see a fish resting immobile with his eyes closed so scientific have studied their brain activity to determine sleep patterns.
Many species seek sheltered areas to rest, utilizing coral crevices, underwater caves, or even burying themselves in the sand. This behavior not only provides protection from predators but also offers a sense of security crucial for a restful slumber.
An interesting sleeping behavior that can be witnessed on most night dives in the Andaman Sea is the way parrotfish sleep at night: they produce a mucous membrane acting as their nocturnal sleeping bag, a smart way to get some defense against parasites who might want to attack overnight. On your next night dive, peek under rocks if you want to observe their slimy sleeping bags but remember that they do not have eyelids! Be a mindful night diver and avoid shining your lights directly at them as you might wake them up, and they will be protection less until the next day, as they will not have enough mucus to build a second sleeping bubble.
But not all species are able to get a good night rest, and some species are condemned to eternal insomnia:
Most Sharks and Rays need to keep on moving, day and night!

​Most Sharks and Rays, aren't equipped with a swimming bladder and need to swim perpetually to avoid sinking to the bottom of the ocean and to keep on breathing.
Much like their cousins, the whale sharks, Manta rays are ram ventilators, a type of fish that relies on constant forward motion to force water containing oxygen into their mouths and over their gills.  Both of these ocean giants seem to vanish into the night, leaving researchers puzzled about their sleeping hideaways. Despite their large size and prominence during the day, these gentle giants manage to elude our understanding when night falls, sparking curiosity about their secret slumber spots and the unique way they navigate their rest in the mysterious depths of the ocean.
While it remains an untested hypothesis, some scientists believe that manta rays may be able to rest by shutting down one half of their brain while the other half remains active allowing them to continue swimming while still getting a form of rest.
 Their perpetual motion becomes a conscious journey that spans their impressive lifespans of 40-80 years, they might never experience sleep in their life!

​Other popular animals that are constantly swimming are dolphins! These marine mammals cannot breathe underwater and need to come to the surface regularly to take a conscious breath of air!
Unlike humans (who continue breathing while sleeping), these marine mammals have voluntary breathing. They need to make a conscious decision to breathe. These creatures have a remarkable adaptation— unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. One hemisphere enters deep sleep for survival-related functions, while the other handles breathing and predator awareness. Unlike seals, cetaceans, including dolphins, are believed not to experience REM sleep, the dream phase.

​Sperm whales are known to sleep vertically or in a near-vertical position in the water. They typically do this for short periods, usually lasting about 10 to 15 minutes. During this time, they are in a state of rest, characterized by a lowered metabolic rate and reduced activity.
Despite being asleep, they are semi-aware of their surroundings and maintain enough consciousness to continue breathing and avoid potential dangers. This state of rest allows them to rejuvenate and conserve energy while still being able to respond quickly to any threats in their environment.
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Periodically, sperm whales need to come to the surface to breathe. They are mammals and, like other whales, are conscious breathers. They have blowholes located on top of their heads, which they use to exhale old air and inhale fresh air. Normally, they surface to breathe every 10 to 15 minutes. This surfacing behavior is not only for breathing but also coincides with their sleep patterns. They often rise to the surface to take a breath between their periods of logging.
This cycle of diving, logging, and surfacing is crucial for their survival, enabling them to balance the need for rest with the necessity of breathing and remaining alert to their surroundings in the vast ocean depths.

​It is not uncommon while diving in the Andaman Sea to catch a hawksbill or green turtle, taking a snooze under a rock ledge during your dive. Indeed, studies have revealed that these magnificent sea turtles spend a significant portion of their time resting, amounting to about 11 hours a day, so you've got a 40% chance of seeing them asleep!
Sea turtles can sleep on the seabed thanks to their remarkable breath-holding ability and slowed metabolic rate, conserving oxygen during rest. Different species display varying sleeping styles—hawksbills and greens often revisiting the same sleeping spots, while Olive Ridleys may opt for sunbathing on beaches or floating on the surface while they sleep.

​Marine animals sleep in surprising ways. Some, like dolphins, keep one eye open while they snooze. Others, like green sea turtles, rest underwater for long stretches without needing to breathe. And as unbelievable as it may be, some marine creatures don't sleep at all!
Understanding these sleep patterns makes us wonder: How does the way they sleep help these animals survive in the ocean? Could their sleep secrets teach us more about how they live and adapt?
Exploring how marine animals sleep isn't just about bedtime stories. It's like opening a door to a world of mysteries hiding beneath the waves. As we learn more, we might uncover not just how they sleep, but also how their lives fit together in the big picture of ocean life.