Western Rocky: Welcome to the most charming and motley neighbourhood in Burma
At the South Western border of the Mergui Archipelago, Western rocky might be the most well-known dive site in Myanmar.
Have you ever been diving at a site that you felt even if you stayed here every day for the rest of your life that you still wouldn’t be able to uncover all of its secrets? Western Rocky is a perfect example of this. Even though we have been diving there on every cruise since 2012 its beauty and density still enchants us and can even still pull some surprises out of its hat.
Western rocky is an island in the southernmost tip of the Mergui Archipelago that is all but lonely in the seas that surround it. Where the main site is very well known, its sloping sides and sandy surroundings give rise to many deeper pinnacles that are very well kept secrets. Off the ?? coast of the main island are a collection of small islets that can be divided into two sections of paired rock formations cheekily emerging from the surface almost as if to beckon you to explore their wonders.
Western rocky is an island in the southernmost tip of the Mergui Archipelago that is all but lonely in the seas that surround it. Where the main site is very well known, its sloping sides and sandy surroundings give rise to many deeper pinnacles that are very well kept secrets. Off the ?? coast of the main island are a collection of small islets that can be divided into two sections of paired rock formations cheekily emerging from the surface almost as if to beckon you to explore their wonders.
Welcome to the neighbourhood
Although it is known as one dive site, we like to think of Western Rocky as a neighbourhood of dive sites. This encompasses the tunnel and main island, the islets, eagle rock, the secret pinnacles and the nearby sea fan forest. The area is so rich in marine life and seascapes that it would be easy to devote an entire cruise to this one part of the archipelago. The main island alone is so vast and is home to such a wide variety of corals and creatures that it is impossible to visit the entire site in one dive.
One of our main focuses aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse is exclusivity and space. There is nothing we hate more than being on a dive site and seeing more divers than fish. We always plan the entry schedule of each group to spread people out over the area as much as possible ensuring that you always feel like the dive site is for you and you alone. Since the neighbourhood has so many unique dive sites in close proximity, we will often drop groups of divers at distinct sites to ensure that one group will never cross paths with another.
One of our main focuses aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse is exclusivity and space. There is nothing we hate more than being on a dive site and seeing more divers than fish. We always plan the entry schedule of each group to spread people out over the area as much as possible ensuring that you always feel like the dive site is for you and you alone. Since the neighbourhood has so many unique dive sites in close proximity, we will often drop groups of divers at distinct sites to ensure that one group will never cross paths with another.
The main island: the town square of western rocky
The main island of Western Rocky is surrounded by a sandy bottom at roughly 30m. Here you have the chance to spot various rays cruising the seafloor for food or shelter. Among them are Jenkins whiptail rays, blue spotted ribbon tail rays, blotched stingrays and eagle rays.
Cruising up from the sand you will swim along the wall where you will find a glorious cathedral embedded in the rock. This large sunbathed arch slowly narrows down into a narrower corridor that we can use to pass from one side of the island to the other. Inside the swim-through, we can often find many animals seeking shelter in the protected cavern. Many lobsters (including the rare sleeper lobster which resembles a cicada) seek refuge here during the day and the luckiest divers have had the chance to find a nurse shark or grey reef shark lounging at the bottom of the tunnel.
Coming out of the other side of the tunnel you will be overwhelmed by the mosaic of colours before you. Purple soft corals, yellow cup corals and gorgonian sea fans carpet every corner of this reef creating a safe haven for sea creatures painted with the most vibrant palette. Every coral, fan, crack and overhang is peppered with macro critters of every shape and size. Hovering over the reef crowded with life is a multitude of coral dwelling fish and pelagic schools. Fusiliers, trevally and emperor fish can often be seen in large groups leisurely passing by. Here we love to search for harlequin shrimp, frogfish, seahorses, lobsters, crabs, nudibranchs and pipefish.
This is also the ultimate night diving spot. Many critters that hide during the day vacate their bunkers in search of something to sink their teeth into. Some of our favourite species to look for on night dives are the ever-popular Spanish dancer nudibranch and a plethora of crabs including the decorator spider crab. The lobsters that were safe in the cavern during the day often venture out and can be seen crawling around.
Cruising up from the sand you will swim along the wall where you will find a glorious cathedral embedded in the rock. This large sunbathed arch slowly narrows down into a narrower corridor that we can use to pass from one side of the island to the other. Inside the swim-through, we can often find many animals seeking shelter in the protected cavern. Many lobsters (including the rare sleeper lobster which resembles a cicada) seek refuge here during the day and the luckiest divers have had the chance to find a nurse shark or grey reef shark lounging at the bottom of the tunnel.
Coming out of the other side of the tunnel you will be overwhelmed by the mosaic of colours before you. Purple soft corals, yellow cup corals and gorgonian sea fans carpet every corner of this reef creating a safe haven for sea creatures painted with the most vibrant palette. Every coral, fan, crack and overhang is peppered with macro critters of every shape and size. Hovering over the reef crowded with life is a multitude of coral dwelling fish and pelagic schools. Fusiliers, trevally and emperor fish can often be seen in large groups leisurely passing by. Here we love to search for harlequin shrimp, frogfish, seahorses, lobsters, crabs, nudibranchs and pipefish.
This is also the ultimate night diving spot. Many critters that hide during the day vacate their bunkers in search of something to sink their teeth into. Some of our favourite species to look for on night dives are the ever-popular Spanish dancer nudibranch and a plethora of crabs including the decorator spider crab. The lobsters that were safe in the cavern during the day often venture out and can be seen crawling around.
Eagle rock and the islets: The suburbs of western rocky
Eagle Rock is a pair of rocks that breach the surface and descend to roughly 25m. Surrounded by a vast coral garden, we see similar seascapes to the area surrounding the main island. This is a fantastic place for those who like to capture the underwater world through a wide-angle lens. The colours of the corals are stunning and the blue is often full of swirling packs of barracuda, jacks and fusiliers. We also have the chance to see octopus and the psychedelic looking tapestry shrimp hiding in the corals.
Between Eagle Rock and Western Rocky are the islets which are pairs of large rocks with towering walls plunging from the surface to 23m. There are similar coral structures to the rest of the neighbourhood that will take your breath away with every fin kick. Among others, we love to look for orangutan crabs and mantis shrimp in the textures of these formations. Here we descend over the coral garden and then spend some time on each of the rocks while slowly shallowing up. As the peaks breach the surface even our safety stop can be spent observing marine life, giving you an action-packed dive from start to finish.
Between Eagle Rock and Western Rocky are the islets which are pairs of large rocks with towering walls plunging from the surface to 23m. There are similar coral structures to the rest of the neighbourhood that will take your breath away with every fin kick. Among others, we love to look for orangutan crabs and mantis shrimp in the textures of these formations. Here we descend over the coral garden and then spend some time on each of the rocks while slowly shallowing up. As the peaks breach the surface even our safety stop can be spent observing marine life, giving you an action-packed dive from start to finish.
Dendro’s peak and other treasures: The secrets of Western rocky
Can you keep a secret? We know of a few of them hidden in the depths surrounding western rocky. Dendro’s peak is one of the uncountable secret pinnacles in the northern part of the district that we like to visit. Most of the hidden undersea mountains surrounding it are far too deep for recreational divers but we love this one because it starts at 15m. Starting the dive somewhere around 30m in the sandy area towards the bottom of the pinnacle, orange fans and soft corals will surround you as you spiral up the pinnacle throughout the dive. Here we have had the chance to see cuttlefish mating which involves a colourful dance between several individual males competing for the attention of the discerning female.
On the outskirts of the neighbourhood lies the illustrious Sea Fan Forest. This pinnacle starts at roughly 5m and descends to somewhere around 50m. Its name paints a representative picture of the aesthetic of a dive site so rich in sea fans of varying sizes and colours. The east side of the pinnacle is where the densest part of this orange and ochre forest took hold of the seafloor. At depth, light can play tricks on you and you may see the closest fans for their full spectrum of colour while the background blends into dark shadows of the mysterious blue. Among the corals and sponges, you can often find sneaky cuttlefish, octopus and devil scorpionfish if your eyes are keen enough! We also love to watch the schools of barracuda at Sea Fan Forest and we have had the incredible luck of seeing 3 whale sharks on one dive here!
On the outskirts of the neighbourhood lies the illustrious Sea Fan Forest. This pinnacle starts at roughly 5m and descends to somewhere around 50m. Its name paints a representative picture of the aesthetic of a dive site so rich in sea fans of varying sizes and colours. The east side of the pinnacle is where the densest part of this orange and ochre forest took hold of the seafloor. At depth, light can play tricks on you and you may see the closest fans for their full spectrum of colour while the background blends into dark shadows of the mysterious blue. Among the corals and sponges, you can often find sneaky cuttlefish, octopus and devil scorpionfish if your eyes are keen enough! We also love to watch the schools of barracuda at Sea Fan Forest and we have had the incredible luck of seeing 3 whale sharks on one dive here!
Visiting Western Rocky aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse
We love to visit this dive site and make sure that every one of our cruises takes a lovely wander through the neighboorhood but some cruises get a bit more of a leisurely time there than others.
As it has so much to offer and is easily accessible, it is an obvious choice to make sure that we always spend some time here. It is such a vast and diverse region however, that it is hard to thoroughly explore it in a short time. The Smiling Seahorse offers a variety of packages to cater to the interests of different divers.
All of our cruises go to western rocky and its surroundings but our longer cruises allocate more time for the exploration of the collection of beautiful sites. Our 6 and 7-day cruises allow for one day to explore the entirety of the area which in our opinion is only testing the waters. You will be able to see the wonders of the region but you will simply scratch the surface of what western rocky has to offer.
Our 8 and 9-day cruises venture a little further offshore to some more untouched areas but the icing on the cake is 2 whole days to thoroughly explore what this lush group of pinnacles and sandy banks are concealing. When we arrive in the western rocky region we will do two dives at the illustrious sea fan forest followed by two dives around the main island. The next day will start with a dive at the deeper secret pinnacles followed by the rest of the day diving around the main islands, eagle rock and the islets. A little more time here allows for us to really take our time and explore the area without any hurry.
Join us for an unforgettable adventure through Burma aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse.
As it has so much to offer and is easily accessible, it is an obvious choice to make sure that we always spend some time here. It is such a vast and diverse region however, that it is hard to thoroughly explore it in a short time. The Smiling Seahorse offers a variety of packages to cater to the interests of different divers.
All of our cruises go to western rocky and its surroundings but our longer cruises allocate more time for the exploration of the collection of beautiful sites. Our 6 and 7-day cruises allow for one day to explore the entirety of the area which in our opinion is only testing the waters. You will be able to see the wonders of the region but you will simply scratch the surface of what western rocky has to offer.
Our 8 and 9-day cruises venture a little further offshore to some more untouched areas but the icing on the cake is 2 whole days to thoroughly explore what this lush group of pinnacles and sandy banks are concealing. When we arrive in the western rocky region we will do two dives at the illustrious sea fan forest followed by two dives around the main island. The next day will start with a dive at the deeper secret pinnacles followed by the rest of the day diving around the main islands, eagle rock and the islets. A little more time here allows for us to really take our time and explore the area without any hurry.
Join us for an unforgettable adventure through Burma aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse.
