On the east side, we encountered the area’s famous great barracudas and batfish, pausing by the reef for cleaning. Meanwhile, the western side of Richelieu held surprises, from groupers stationed atop deep pinnacles covered with shimmering glass fish to countless reef species like parrotfish, angelfish, and clownfish hiding within anemones. Our divers couldn’t get enough of the lively interactions between various shrimp, crabs, and the resident moray eels tucked within the rocky crevices.

The standout moment came during our final dive at Richelieu Rock. A tiny seahorse clung to a piece of rope at a depth of 29 meters, its delicate frame and vibrant colors creating a moment of awe. Seeing such a rare and graceful creature was the perfect way to cap off our exploration of Richelieu Rock, and it was our first seahorse sighting of the season!​

Our first dive trip of the season to Burma was nothing short of magical! With underwater photographers and enthusiastic divers alike, we embarked on an unforgettable journey on board the MV Smiling Seahorse. This special trip welcomed two industry legends, Mike Bartick and Walter Marti, for our inaugural (but certainly not the last!) Photo & Video Clinic in Myanmar.

This trip was extra special for many reason:
- It was the first photo clinic held in Myanmar
​- We spent 3 full days at the Banks
- It was our first cruise dedicated to Blackwater diving in Myanmar
- It was our first workshop lead by Mike Bartick, a world-renowned blackwater expert and admin of worldwide Blackwater Photo Group
- Mike was fantastic, not only to get the best photos but also in identifying subjects captured throughout the trip!
- It was also great welcoming back our friend, Walter Marti, an expert Blackwater videographer, to answer all video-related questions.

Dive #1: High Rock – A Picture-Perfect BeginningWe set the tone early with a fantastic first dive at High Rock, a charming rocky island crowned by a lone tree. Beneath the surface, a wonderland awaited. Bent stick pipefish, banded sea snakes, juvenile harlequin sweet lips, and baby pufferfish were just a few of the critters that greeted us. Around the corner, a mild current brought us to swarms of big-eyed trevalli and chevron barracuda, schooling and glistening in the sunlight—a mesmerizing start!

​We made our way to our next destination — Square Rock and Shark Cave, two sites next to each other, each offering their own unique features and life.  We split up the divers and took turns at each site, offering each group time to explore the sites on their own. While diving through the swim through of Shark Cave were exhilarating to start with, the life was teeming with giant moray eels, cute varieties of boxfish and shrimps, big lobsters and peacock mantis shrimp in the rock cracks, and massive schools of pick handle barracudas and jacks. The highlight of these dives was that we all got to see adorable seahorses on the fan corals near Shark Cave —a fitting tribute to the MV Smiling Seahorse's guests!

​Our first night dive brought us more adorable seahorses and cuttlefish at Shark Cave. Stonefish were out for the night, octopus were sneaking along the sand, and big schools of flounder came out to greet us. We really enjoyed the fascinating decorator crab, who was disguising itself as a nudibranch with strategically placed coral pieces on its body. There was no fooling the divers though, and we told the crab how proud we were of its wonderful costume.

Waking up to all an ocean with no other boats or lights is a truly special moment that most people have never experienced, so waking up on the boat to a mesmerizing sunrise near the Burma Banks was an awesome sight for all.

As we prepared for the first of nine dives on the legendary Burma Banks, we were treated to a heartwarming welcome from a playful pod of dolphins! They swam alongside our boat, racing ahead as we made our way to Roe Bank. Being the first divers of the season to explore the Burma Banks, we all felt like pioneers, eager to uncover its underwater treasures.

​Descending into crystal-clear waters with 40 meters of visibility, we were met by the awe-inspiring sights of pristine sandy banks dotted with marine life. Nurse sharks glided by, some resting serenely, while giant lobsters and a magnificent marbled ray drifted over the seafloor. Our second dive took the excitement up a notch with even more sharks, swarms of surgeonfish, and vibrant schools of butterflyfish displaying every color you could imagine. It was the perfect start to our Burma Banks adventure, setting the tone for the incredible experiences that lay ahead!

We cruised south to see what Rainbow Reef had in store, and once again, luck was on our side. Nurse sharks nestled under the rocks, while reef sharks wove through vibrant corals. Overhead, schools of big tunas and pick handle barracudas glided past, while colorful reef fish adorned the seafans. Among the favorites were the charming clown triggerfish and clown pufferfish, adding splashes of color to the reef scene. As we reached our safety stop, anticipation filled the air for the first blackwater dive of the trip, as salps and tiny jellies drifted around us, a perfect preview of the night’s abundant marine life.

Returning to the boat, nature treated us to a final, magical touch—a double rainbow arched over Rainbow Reef, casting its colors over the open sea and leaving us all in awe after a fantastic day exploring the Banks.

Before our blackwater dive, our onboard expert, Mike Bartick, shared insights on some of the unique creatures we might encounter, especially siphonophores—a fascinating, stinging organism that takes on many forms. Mike explained how larval sea creatures often mimic these stingers to avoid predation, giving us a glimpse into the intricate adaptations of deep-sea life.

​With this knowledge, and Franck’s tips for a successful dive, we geared up with torches and cameras and teamed up to explore the mesmerizing world beneath us in the night’s waters.

For many divers on this trip, it was their first time experiencing the thrill of blackwater diving—an exhilarating chance to witness the amazing, tiny creatures that rise to the surface at night. Armed with cameras, they eagerly refined the special photography skills needed for capturing macro life in the dark, embracing the treasure hunt of spotting elusive creatures in the inky water. Meanwhile, the more seasoned blackwater divers among us were equally excited, curious to see if Myanmar's blackwater environment held surprises unique to this part of the world.
As we took photos and searched for life, the dive was a shared adventure, with laughter and discovery uniting us all in the excitement of exploring this new location together. While most of the creatures we encountered were delicate larval species, one of the guides, Mint, had a stroke of luck—she spotted a dolphin gliding nearby! The rest of us could only hear the dolphin’s melodic sounds, entranced as they echoed in the water around us. It was a magical night, filled with mystery and wonder. Franck got a beautiful shot of the Yellow Bellied sea snake, an amazing critter with some interesting super-powers, who lives a pelagic life away from reefs and land. Learn more about this amazing critter here: Discover the enigmactic sea snakes.

The next morning, our adventure continued with a return dive at Roe Bank. Life seemed to have flourished overnight! We were thrilled to spot even more nurse sharks, our first turtle sighting, and a rich variety of marine life, including honeycomb moray eels, massive schools of unicorn fish, a napoleon wrasse, and giant potato groupers resting under the reef ledges. One memorable encounter was with the giant trevallies that curiously approached, coming just close enough before acknowledging us as friendly visitors. Dive guide Jamie even had a heartwarming moment with a playful school of Moorish idols, who swam by with puckered lips as if to blow a kiss.
As if the morning couldn’t get any better, a playful pod of 20-30 dolphins showed up just in time for breakfast! They graced us with their presence for a full hour, playfully swimming alongside the boat before disappearing into the horizon. It was another magical moment to start to the day!

​Our excitement grew as we headed back to Rainbow Reef for two more dives that day. Descending into a vibrant school of neon fusiliers—one of nature's feeder schools—set the stage for encounters with a breathtaking number of nurse sharks, tunas, jacks, and giant trevallies. Amid this underwater bustle, a massive marble ray rested nearby, sheltered from the current. We were also treated to the endearing sight of a giant honeycomb eel at a cleaning station, getting its teeth meticulously attended to. The reef was alive with a kaleidoscope of colors from anthinae, rare nudibranchs, a mangrove whip ray, and a scribbled filefish, all adding to the spectacle of this unforgettable day at Rainbow Reef.

​Hungry divers ate delicious Thai and French meals throughout the exhilarating trip. Creamy cheesy broccoli, a Thai noodle buffet, fresh bananas fritters with ice cream, and a comforting homemade chicken soup enjoyed during a brief summer storm made for memorable first days’ meals, perfectly paired with the excitement of the trip.
That evening, our blackwater expert, Mike, hosted a review session for the photos taken on the previous night’s blackwater dive. Using his book The World of Blackwater, he helped identify the fascinating deep-water species we’d encountered and offered tips for the beginner photographers and videographers on board. From capturing stunning, reflective shots against the surface of the sea to discussing the unique symbiotic relationships among certain marine creatures, we learned how some species form alliances to appear larger or hide from predators, enhancing their safety as they feed on plankton near the surface. The photos brought the magic of the deep to life and had us all eager for the next dive.

​The following day, we slept in a bit late in preparation for our double blackwater dive that evening. We moved south to Coral Bank, the for the first dives of our final day diving on the Burma Banks. The shallower reef bank had a bit less current, so we had time to take a closer look at some smaller life on the Banks (as well as seeing our friends the nurse sharks). Colorful mushroom corals and anemones housed Clark’s anemone fish and other varieties of clownfish, massive Portida corals with colorful Christmas tree worms, leather corals, goat fish, butterfly and banner fish, and big schools of striped bonito tuna and giant trevallies. It was everything you could ask for from a site called Coral Bank!
 
During our Mediterranean style lunch of fresh mixed vegetable salad, potato salad, and falafel, we were once again greeted by a pod of dolphins. It seems they knew that we hadn’t seen them for lunch time yet and wanted to be sure we felt their love!
 
Our final day dive at Burma Banks took us to Silvertip Bank to hopefully see some silver tip reef sharks, and while it was not as exceptional as last November, we were lucky enough to spot a few! Nurse sharks were also home, as well as massive fan corals and happy colourful reef fish.
 
We had another blackwater fish identification and photography tips session with Mike, and he was incredibly impressed with the huge strides that our new blackwater photographers had made and what everyone had been finding on their dives. We also learned about how to identify so many species of marine life, including jellies, squid, snakes, larval fish, lobster, and so much more.
 
We then went on 2 blackwater dives that night! The first dive was set over a depth of 400-500m depth and the second dive at 100-200m depth, and many nautical miles apart, to compare marine life diversity above different depths.

We would find out the following day during our photo review (hint: there was a lot of excited screams of joy!!)

As we headed back to the Mergui Archipelago for our final days of diving, we said goodbye to the open ocean and arrived at a beautiful site called Seafan Forest.  The (2) dives took us all deep into the massive seafan forest along rocky ridges. Sea fans the size of most of the customers (or larger) in oranges, reds, purples, and whites boggled the senses! Scorpiofish were everywhere, as well as huge barracuda, cute cuttlefish nibbling from under a rock, nudibranches, slow moving cornet fish and trumpet fish, and even an eagle ray floating above.
 
We moved on to Eagle Rock and Western Rocky, two sites next to each other forming magnificent views for the divers onboard with chunky limestone towers and green colored boulders as islands. Our final dives of the day, with the second at sunset to hopefully see some hunting action! And boy did we see some!
 
Western Rock, also known as “The Cave” offered to our divers a spectacular topography! A careful descent along the rock wall of the larger island took divers through a magnificently lit archway into a massive underground alcove teeming with fusiliers, sea fans and nudibranches galore! Just around the corner is a massive cave filled with lobsters and tiger cowries- a true adventure dive!
 
Next to the island is the famous deep coral garden of Eagle Rock, sloping up to two limestone towers. Massive rays, big grumpy stonefish and huge schools of chevron and pick handle barracudas swarmed the site. The sunset dive was one of the most awe-inspiring and photogenic sight of the trip. The massive school of smooth tailed trevallies were in an absolute frenzy! They swarmed in a tornado that had dive guides Simon and Franck mind blown for hours after. Extending from the floor 15m deep to the surface, the school were tightly packed and voraciously swirling, following the divers around the site. Sitting inside the swirling school was an unforgettable experience and a photo opportunity most had never seen. What an amazing end to the dive day!

​Our final dive site was a completely unique and magical end to the trip. The Volcano is an island with sheer walls to dive and look for tiny nudibranches, Xeno crabs, and bearded scorpionfish, but before taking the dive, we took a scuba snorkel! A hidden alcove in the side of the island is a hole to the inside of the island, where a massive salt water nursery is tucked away inside the inner part of the island. Each group took turns to go into the nursery and float on our backs and explore the shallow reef, looking up at the peaceful teal waters and jungle surroundings only offered in these islands.
 
We packed up our camera and diving equipment and made our way back to land to stop for some Myanmar beers together in Kawthoung, and then back to Ranong for hugs and goodbyes, all looking forward to sharing our blackwater, blue water, sunset (and rainbow!) photos with each other. Until the next trip…