Book a luxury liveaboard diving holiday and cruise the unexplored islands of Myanmar with The Smiling Seahorse dive centre based in Ranong.
The exquisite and remote Mergui Archipelago These largely unknown islands stretch for thousands of kilometres along the western coast of Burma. They have only recently been opened for tourism and diving and most people are still unaware of their existence. The best way to visit these unexplored regions is aboard one of our exclusive liveaboard diving cruises.
The coveted Burma Banks
125 km offshore from the southern town of Kawthaung, the secrets of the Burma Banks are waiting to be discovered. Enjoy these giant sand dunes coming up from the depths to meet large pelagic fishes (such as nurse sharks, silvertip shark or whale sharks) and discover the deep blue.
Burma being opened to tourism only since 1997, it is still a very novel destination for divers of this world. While less known than its neighboring country, Thailand, Burma has some of the best dive sites of the Andaman Sea.
What we love most about Burma Dive sites is that it is the only diving destination of this quality where you can be alone on every dive site..
Your exclusive diving holiday with The MV Smiling Seahorse team will take you where no other liveaboard boats will be in sight for days. The Mergui Archipelago is composed of over 800 islands and 3000 islets, lined with white sand beaches fringing verdant jungle forests.
Imagine towering granite cliffs, dark green mangroves and clear turquoise waters with nothing to disturb your reveries but the sounds of waves and birds singing.
With exceptional facilities and a very friendly staff, we will be pleased to offer you a full service package that will cater to your every need and desire. With our PADI instructors team as your guides, they will show you the abundant marine life with focus on individual tastes. Whether it’s macro life that tickles your fancy or you prefer larger fish, we will be sure to point out something to make you smile.
If you wish to learn more about scuba diving, we provide safe and complete diving education with experienced and passionate PADI instructors.
We only teach small groups to ensure you enjoy high quality and personalised training.
The islands of Myanmar are spread out over a massive area of 12 000 square kilometres. You will encounter a marvellous biodiversity of marine and terrestrial life including numerous corals, anemones, fishes, birds, and reptiles.
In the sea and mangrove swamps lives a plethora of spectacular marine animals. You might encounter a big pelagic fish or mammals such as schools of Bottlenose dolphins, Minke whales, Whale sharks, and Giant manta rays. There are also many minuscule curiosities to be found in every nook and cranny of the reef. Many varieties of crustacean, pipefish, nudibranch and frogfish to name a few, are sure to bring a little tear to your eye.
Our new liveaboard diving boat, the MV Smiling Seahorse was designed for your safety and comfort. Built at the end of 2018 with a steel hull, it’s not the standard converted Thai fishing vessel often used for diving in the area.
The boat was made to be comfortable and convenient for divers with a large diving platform and plenty of storage. It will also satisfy underwater photographers that want to rinse, charge and safely store their most fragile electronics in the world class camera room.
There are cheap domestic flights several times a day from Bangkok to Ranong that take only one and a half hour.
By car, Ranong is a 4-hours drive from Phuket and 2.5 hours away from Chumphon (where you can get onto boats to/from Koh Tao, Koh Phangan or Koh Samui).
The passage from Ranong (Thailand) to Kawthoung (Burma) takes about 20 minutes by boat, crossing over the river which separate the two countries.
If you are already in Myanmar, we are also happy to pick you up in Kawthoung. (There are daily flights from Yangoon to Kawthoung).
Explore the Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands.
Prices in Thai baht (THB), per diver. The 10% discount is already applied.