Itineraries:

Thailand and Burma - Similans and Mergui Archipelago (10 nights)

DURATION: 10 nights
PORTS: Phuket to Phuket
QUALIFICATION NEEDED: PADI Open water or equivalent - no minimum number of logged dives required.

This 10 night liveaboard adventure allows up to 31 dives, including up to 5 night dives and takes you the best of the west coast of Thailand and into Burma.

One of the last untouched places; the Mergui Archipelago of Burma is best dived by liveaboard. With more than 800 islands the Mergui Archipelago lies approximately 180 km northwest of the Similan Islands. When diving here, you will find four different types of environment - shallow, inshore fringing island reefs, offshore fringing reefs and banks which rise up from depths of over 300 metres. You can expect to encounter schools of snappers, tiger tail sea horses, nurse sharks and black tip reef sharks, pharoahs cuttlefish and many types of angel and damsel fish.

Diving the west coast of Thailand is probably on the must do agenda for every diver. With interesting topography, created by the rocky boulders, and excellent marine life it is easy to see why. Manta rays, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp and wondrous soft corals await the eager diver.

Sample itinerary...

**PLEASE NOTE** the itinerary below is just an example of the route taken and the order and dive sites are not guaranteed. All dives sites are subject to weather conditions and the final route taken is at the absolute discretion of the captain and dive guides.

Day 1: Board S/Y Oriental Siren at Chalong Harbour, Phuket around 2pm.
Day 2: Similan Islands.
Day 3: Similan Islands.
Day 4: Richelieu Rock
Day 5: Leave Thailand and enter Burma, diving high rock on the way.
Day 6, 7 & 8: Mergui Archipelago
Day 9: Leave Burma and return to Thailand, depending on the conditions, diving either Richelieu Rock, Koh Torinla Ridge, Koh Torinla East or Koh Chi on the way.
Day 10: Similan Islands
Day 11: Disembark at Chalong Harbour after breakfast.

Diving Highlights...

Elephant Head Rock (Similan Islands): The largest of the pinnacles in the Similan National Park where huge boulders create swim throughs and many places to find hiding white tip reef sharks. Kuhls stIngrays, mantis shrimp and numerous crustaceans are all seen here.

Western Rocky (Burma): This sharp pinnacle rises out of the water from the deep forming caverns and swim throughs that just beg to be explored. Inside the channels we find numerous lobsters, whilst on the rocky walls Moebius Elysia feed on the algaes. Schools of snappers and fusileers teem over the rocks and there are some fantastic overhangs perfect for photographers.

Captain's Rock (Burma): First noted by our Thai Captain E-ad, the rock here juts out of the water and slopes away forming great fissures in the hard substrate. Into deeper water we discover additional submerged pinnacles covered with soft corals. Angelfish, snappers, devil scorpion fish and many moray eels can be found here.

Black Rock (Burma): A check of the current decides which way to dive around this rocky pinnacle which attracts schools of batfish and barracuda. Hundreds of scorpion fish wait lazily for a bite of the glassfish that swarm over the rocks whilst octopus can be seen mating very openly! Also great for spotting nudibranchs in the shallow water.

Three Islets (Burma): THE place for tiger tail seahorses, ghost pipefish and to watch the fascinating display of the Pharoahs cuttlefish as they mate. Nurse sharks can also be found resting in the large cavern and swim through that bisects the island.

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Itinerary Map...