7 days dive in Burma Mergui Archipelago

Burma diving liveaboard, Mergui Archipelago in a week

Itinerary of our dive cruise: ​
​​
Day 1: Meet at our dive center for check-in.
between 10am and 12pm at 170 Ruangrat Road, in Ranong.
At 2pm we will head to the Thai immigration office to get the necessary exit stamps from Thailand and then make our way to our boat, MV Smiling Seahorse.

Upon crossing the border into Myanmar, immigration officers will board in Kawthoung and do the necessary border crossing screening. Once the paperwork is completed, we will head out to sea!
Shortly after sunset we will hold a departure ceremony t o launch our voyage,  then it will be time for your first scrumptious meal before being rocked to sleep by the waves.
We will make 4 dives per day, with meals or a snack served after every dive, and 1 dive on the last day.

Day 7: The last dive ends no later than 9am.
We will be back to Ranong by 5pm.

Once our passports are returned in Kawthoung bu from the Burmese authorities, we will head back to Thailand where we get a new entry stamp. Please make sure your passeport allows visa free entry by land border or arrange a visa / re-entry permit for Thailand.

Some of the dive sites we will explore:

  • South Twin Island sits on the outskirts of the Mergui Archipelago, this dive site is quite scenic with a topography of huge granite boulders together with hard coral reef inhabited by a lot of schooling fish. If you are lucky, this is the first place where you may encounter a majestic manta ray though even without these marvelous
    creatures this is a great dive site to begin the trip. We end the first day of diving with a night dive searching for pygmy squid,
    swimming morays, octopus, candy crabs, cowries and nudibranchs!.

  • Shark Cave is one of our favorites, with a very cool swim-through and a chance to find seahorses across three very colourful dive sites located very close by. In the afternoon we may visit a local island
    hosting a beach, fishermen's village and a Burmese temple.

  • Following a night crossing we arrive at the famous Black Rock, an exposed basalt rock formation out in the open sea, and arguably the best dive site in the Mergui Archipelago!
    Acting like a magnet t o all that pass by, Black Rock is incredibly rich in terms of marine life. Here we are hoping for the big stuff like sharks, manta rays and whatever else may be in the area...
 
  • The conditions this far out in the open sea are a bit more challenging and currents make it a different style of diving to other
    areas o f the Mergui archipelago.
    
  • North Twin and it's Pinnacle offer moire opportunities to cross paths with pelagic fish and megafauna. We love this dive site for the diverse schools of fish out in the blue, as well as the wealth of tiny critters hiding among the giant sea fans and soft corals. 
 
  • On the return journey, we will dive an area known as Western Rocky. The first two dives of the day may be spent exploring the majestic nearby underwater scenery of Seafan Forest, whose magnificent corals and exposed location attract huge schools of fish. This is also a favourite place of ours to search for the ever-grumpy stonefish.

  • Later dives in the day will be around the beautiful main island and islets of Western Rocky itself. Here, we have a very cool swim-through, crossing from one side of the island to the other, and a chance to see both pelagics and smaller macro critters and creatures too.
​
  • On the last day of the trip, we may dive a submerged pinnacle sitting around 18m below the surface, extremely rich in the diverse marine life Myanmar has to offer, with every chance of spotting larger species passing by if they are in the area.
Two manta rays together at Black Rock
Two manta rays together at Black Rock
Aerial view of North Twin
Aerial view of North Twin
A nurse shark in it's cave
Nurse shark
All cruises onboard the MV Smiling Seahorse (weather permitting) offer the option to try blackwater diving in the Andaman Sea.
For those who’ve never experienced this fantastic style of offshore night diving, there will be a full presentation and safety briefing beforehand.

Logistics: 
Don't forget your 24 hours no-fly time after the last dive (around 10am) ! 
Check out Air Asia for the most recent flight schedule.

Bus: You can also return to Bangkok by bus leaving at 8pm and arriving in Bangkok around 5am.

​This itinerary is provided as sample itinerary and can be modified by The Smiling Seahorse based on weather forecast, dive conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Read more about Burma's dive sites

Black Rock or Burma Banks, High Rock, Shark Cave, North Twin, Western Rocky, Seafan Forest, Pinnacle...

7 days/6 nights, 21 dives  
From Ranong 2pm
​to Ranong 5-6 pm
​
Price per Diver from January 2026
THB 69,300 in Standard cabin
THB 72,600 in Deluxe cabin
THB 75,900 in Master cabin
 INCLUDED
​• Full accommodation and board 
(Breakfast, Lunch, afternoon bites, Dinner) 
•  All soft drinks, drinking water, fresh coffee & tea
•  Fresh fruits, yogurt & snacks all-day
•  12 L scuba tank, Weights & Weight Belt 
​-  Free 1 Blackwater dive
•  PADI Professional Dive Guide (for up to 4 divers)
•  up to 21 dives according to our itinerary
•  Towels, reef-friendly amenities
• Sunbeds and Thai seats​​
NOT INCLUDED:

* You will have to apply for an E-visa for Myanmar, cost: 50$, port of entry: Kawthaung, link to apply
*  Burmese entry and diving Fees 240 USD / Pers (to be confirmed) 
​
. COMPULSORY IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN:
- PERSONAL INSURANCE 
(General Travel insurance is highly recommended)
-  Computer rental 300 THB/day
​​- Equipment rental 600 THB/ day​
. OPTIONS:
-  Nitrox : 250 THB/tank or 4,500 THB for the whole cruise
- 15L Tank 300 THB / day or 1,800 THB for the whole cruise
-  Private guide 4,000 THB/day ​​
​​1000 THB/ Extra blackwater dive
. COURSES:
-  PADI Courses
-  Photographer private coaching

​. Transfers to and from the boat on-demand
​. Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes 
. Gratuity/ tips (1000 THB / day /pers is common practice)​
Question? Please contact us!
⭐ Trusted by divers worldwide ⭐
Discover hundreds of authentic guest reviews about The Smiling Seahorse Andaman Dive Cruises on the world’s most trusted platforms.