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 Mergui Archipelago/Burma Banks (Ranong and Kawthong)

 Info & Marine life (9) Location map Dive sites (4) Dive centers (5) Reviews (1) Flights & Beds  



 

Description:
Comprising over eight hundred islands and covering an area of ten thousand square miles, these pristine islands had, until January 1997, been closed to all foreigners for well over fifty years. This vast area is incredibly beautiful and totally untouched by modern development. Due to its virtual isolation, the islands and surrounding seas are alive with an amazing diversity of wildlife great and small, together with soft and hard corals and huge barrel sponges. Great macro life can be found. Sea horses, Ornate Ghost-pipe and Stone-fish are amongst the archipelago’s rare inhabitants. Here it is live-a-board based diving only. Ranong and Kawthong are the Thai and Burmese towns on each side of the border. If you need or want to spend the night, Ranong on the Thai side is the place to be. Visa's are arranged by the dive operators and normally don't include the possibility of side-trips.

Details:
 Nearest commercial airport: Ranong (Thailand)
 Average watertemp: Min 25 - Max 30 oCelcius.
 Average visibility: 10 Horizontal metres
 Bottom composition: Sand, Corals, Rocks
 Dive conditions: Salt water, Sea
 Seasonality: The season runs from October untill May; no diving out of season due to rain and bad weather.


  Marinelife in the area:
Species  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr   May  Jun  Jul  Aug   Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec 
 Blacktip reef sharks
 Bull sharks (Zambezi/Whaler)
 Devil rays (Mobula)
 Eagle rays
 Manta rays
 Pelagic fish
Tuna, Jacks and Barracuda can easily be encountered here. If you are lucky you will see Marlin.
 Stingrays
 Whale sharks
 Whitetip reef sharks
Frequent encounters at In through the outdoor, Black Rock and Western Rocky Islet.
  Probability of encounter:  0%,   0 > 60%,   60 > 90%,   90 > 100%