Trip Report: Happy New Year From Mergui Archipelago! 29th December 2025 – 4th January 2026

​After clearing Thai immigration in Ranong, we welcomed our international group, from Taiwan, Japan, France, Russia, USA, Norway, Spain and India on board and set course north toward Myanmar. Following a smooth immigration process in Kawthung, the Smiling Seahorse slipped into the vast maze of the Mergui Archipelago. Hundreds of islands, mangroves, and untouched reefs stretched around us as we sailed deeper into a region where tides and currents still dictate the rhythm of life. The evening was spent settling in, enjoying sunset on deck, and anticipating the first dives of the trip. Thanks for all the lovely photos you’ve shared, we’ve added a few more from previous trips to illustrate this blogpost and what was spotted this week 🙂

Our first two dives took place at South Twin Reef. Stonefish lay perfectly camouflaged on the reef, while a shy turtle cruised past before disappearing into the blue. Giant trevallies and rainbow runners swept through the current, and yellow-edged moray eels queued patiently at cleaning stations, mouths wide open like clients at an underwater dentist. Durban dancing shrimps, peacock mantis shrimps, blue sea stars, Indian cushion sea stars, Persian carpet flatworms, giant moray eels and bar-tail moray eels filled the reef with life. Schools of neon fusiliers, bannerfish, striped bristletooth surgeonfish and flashes of blue dragons completed the scene.
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Dive three brought us to North Twin Reef, where a vast granite plateau drops into coral bommies growing around and on top of the rock. Here we encountered gold-dotted flatworms, Maldivian sponge snails, blue dragons, Chromodoris annulata, and a giant moray eel enjoying a meticulous cleaning session by a banded boxer shrimp. Schools of yellowback fusiliers and naked fusiliers streamed over the reef.

Our night dive at North Twin Bay Reef revealed a completely different atmosphere. Phillidia ocellata, Chelidonura punctata, blunt decorated crabs, red reef crabs, octopus, baby squids and a tiny juvenile octopus emerged under torchlight, transforming the reef into a nocturnal theatre.

​We dedicated the entire day to Black Rock, one of the most iconic dive sites of the Mergui Archipelago. The dives were packed with action: Bornella anguilla, anemone crabs, Clark’s anemonefish, and large schools of juvenile yellowback fusiliers mixed with naked fusiliers. We observed octopus mating, bearded scorpionfish, lionfish, peacock-tail anemone shrimps, squat shrimps and banded boxer shrimps. A yellow frogfish sat motionless on the reef, while zebra moray and tiger snake moray eels patrolled the rocks. Juvenile sweetlips hovered nervously, mackerels zipped past, and giant trevallies with rainbow runners dominated the blue.
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Dive two delivered a memorable highlight as oceanic mantas glided overhead, circling gracefully before vanishing into the deep. We ended the day with a festive BBQ on board, celebrating the final hours of 2025 while sailing toward Three Islets.

The first morning of 2026 began with stunning dives at Submarine, Shark Cave, and Square. Schools of naked fusiliers, juvenile yellowback fusiliers, neon fusiliers and blue-striped fusiliers filled the water column. Bamboo sharks rested under ledges, while octopus roamed the reef. Yellow-and-black tiger-tail seahorses, including juveniles, clung to the reef, alongside colonies of Chromodoris fidelis. We also encountered schools of yellowtail barracuda, scorpionfish, devil scorpionfish, banded snake eels, fimbriated and honeycomb moray eels, Cuthona sibogae, orange-spotted pipefish, Durban dancing shrimps, banded boxer shrimps and a marble ray cruising by.
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In the afternoon, we went ashore at Kyun Phila (Phila Island) to visit the local village, temple and beach, before returning to the boat for our first night dive of the year. The night dive delivered starry night octopus, five tiger-tail seahorses including two juveniles (one completely white), ambon crinoid shrimps, bubble shrimps, blunt decorated crabs, sleeping parrotfish cocooned in the reef, resting triggerfish wedged into rocks, soldierfish and squirrelfish emerging from crevices, and hunting moray eels cruising the sand.

Our first two dives took place at Seafan Forest. Pharaoh cuttlefish and broadclub cuttlefish hovered over the reef, while trevallies, rainbow runners and mackerel passed by in the blue. Emperor fish, peacock mantis shrimps, Chromodoris albopunctata mating, Chromodoris annulata, black frogfish, Chelidonura punctata and perfectly hidden stonefish kept everyone busy. Two dive groups also retrieved a large ghost net from the reef, a meaningful conservation effort.

The reef was alive with toby puffers from the Andaman Sea, porcupinefish, sharpnose puffers, titan and yellowmargin triggerfish, bullethead and steephead parrotfish, moon and cleaner wrasses, yellow and bluefin goatfish, combtooth blennies, coral and peacock groupers, white-eye moray eels, powder-blue and ringtail surgeonfish, blueface angelfish and pennant butterflyfish.

Dive three at Western Rocky, exploring the Cave, Islets and Eagle’s Rock, revealed pharaoh cuttlefish laying eggs deep in the rock, a giant moray eel waiting in the cave, cleaning shrimps, blunt decorated crabs, reef crabs, Durban dancing shrimps, Chromodoris annulata, Hypselodoris bullockii, Moridilla brocki and blue dragons. Wrasses were actively attacking sergeant major eggs in a lively display of reef drama.

Our first dive at Dendro’s Peak featured dogtooth tuna, rainbow runners, giant trevallies and narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). Pharaoh cuttlefish and stonefish shared the reef with streaming fusiliers, bluefin trevallies, coral groupers, longnose butterflyfish, cleaner wrasses and large barrel sponges sheltering clouds of glassfish.

Back at Sea Fan Forest, we encountered stonefish, cuttlefish, rainbow runners, peacock mantis shrimps hunting, Chromodoris annulata, Halgerda tessellata and Glossodoris hikuerensis. Giant sea fans covered in purple soft corals dominated the landscape, surrounded by schools of fusiliers, bannerfish, yellowtail butterflyfish, wrasses, blennies and juvenile angelfish hiding deep within the reef.

At Western Rocky, ghost pipefish drifted along the reef, alongside Bornella anguilla, Chromodoris annulata with eggs, Chromodoris risbecia tryoni with eggs, a giant moray eel waiting at the cave exit, Persian carpet flatworms mating, juvenile chromodoris and Flabellina bicolor.
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The night dive delivered ghost pipefish, big red reef crabs, a tiger cowrie gliding openly across the rock, massive Glossodoris hikuerensis with eggs, Chromodoris annulata, giant moray eels preparing to hunt, dark flatworms, squat shrimps, hermit crabs, leopard sea cucumbers, red sea stars and Indian cushion sea stars.

 ​Often nicknamed “Volcano” by divers, our final dive site is in fact Shark Lagoon, a spectacular collapsed rocky formation rather than a true volcanic crater. We entered the lagoon to admire the dramatic rock amphitheatre before starting our final dive along a sponge- and soft-coral-covered wall shaped by erosion and time. Chromodoris fidelis, tiger-tail seahorses, blue dragons, Risbecia pulchella, blue-ringed angelfish, two-lined spinecheeks, gold-saddled rabbitfish, dark surgeonfish and comet longfin fish accompanied us along the reef.

​Giant barrel sponges, purple and pink soft coral trees, schools of fusiliers, hawkfish, coral groupers, cleaner shrimps and swirling clouds of glassfish completed a calm, colorful, and fitting finale to our New Year journey in the Mergui Archipelago. After surfacing, we began our journey back toward civilisation, carrying with us memories of pristine reefs, festive New Year celebrations at sea, and unforgettable encounters in the wild heart of the Mergui Archipelago.