Travel in style to the best diving in amazing Thailand and Burma! You'll dive the top-rated Similan National Park and Richelieu Rock in Thailand at the peak time of year before and after venturing in to the rich waters of Myanmar and the Mergui Archipelago, which most divers never get to see!
Our Itinerary:
Burma Safari - 9 Days/9 Nights
Departure Day, February 11, 2010
Guests transfer to Patong on the island of Phuket between 17:00-18:00 to check in at Royal Phawadee Village. A delicious Thai buffet is served after completing the check in process. Transfer to MV Mermaid I by 19:30 for boat and safety briefing, settle into your cabin then set up equipment. Prior to getting underway, the crew set off firecrackers to bring good luck for the cruise, then we sail usually calm seas for 6 hours to the Similan Islands.
Day One - 4 dives
Wake up call at 7 am in paradise! After a continental breakfast, first dive around 8 am at the beautiful coral-encrusted, crystal=clear East Of Eden on island # 7 followed by a full Western breakfast. Visit Princess Beach at Island #4, visit the small museum or shop for a Similans souvenir. Dive #2 at Koh Bon for chance for Manta. After a delicious lunch and time to relax, enjoy a 3rd dive at Koh Tachai for pelagics and the chance for whale shark and mantas followed by an interesting night dive. Then relax with a cool beverage and new friends after a delicious dinner.
Day Two - 3 dives
First dive today either at Koh Tachai or the world famous Richelieu Rock. After breakfast, dive # 2 and # 3 at Richelieu Rock, then it's northward to clear the Burma border. Relax on the wonderful sundeck or sort your Richelieu photos in our spacious salon. After clearing the border and a delicious dinner, we head off for our first stop in Burma.
Day Three - 4 dives
Wake up in Burma and get ready for some fascinating diving. Today we dive High Rock, Stewart Island, Rocky Island and experience some great macro opportunities such as rare nudibranchs, stick pipe fish, spindle cowries and more. Not into small stuff? Then check out the hundreds of moray, stone fish, scorpion fish, and lion fish in full predatory action.
Day Four - 4 dives
Some call it "In Through the Out Door" some call it Shark Cave - awesome diving awaits what ever you call it! Maybe the nurse sharks will be in the chamber? Maybe some Gray Reef sharks in their sleeping formation cruising in the canyon? If not, then you will still be busy with loads of snappers, bait fish, sea horses, ornate ghost pipe fish, and beautiful soft corals housing rare and unusual cowries and more.
Day Five - 4 dives
Today's feature site is Black Rock where we make 3 day and 1 sunset dive. Awesome dives with gray reef shark, white tip reef shark, leopard sharks, huge grouper, giant marbled rays and trevally, huge remoras and masses of pelagic fishes. Top this off with ornate ghost pipe fish, frogfish and a million glass fish and this day will please every diver! These are our northernmost dive sites.
Day Six - 4 dives
Northeast Little Towers + Tower Rock
Day Seven - 4 dives
Keep your eyes open for a bull shark, white tip reef sharks and leopard sharks at Fan Forest. Pinnacle during dive 1 & 2. After a scrumptious buffet lunch of Thai and western specialities Its time for a snooze on the sun deck, write up your dive log before the next dive around 3-4pm. The afternoon dive at Western Rocky Island is a treat for all with a tunnel going through the island full of glass fish, hinge beak shrimps and a regular haunt for nurse and other sharks. Before dinner, we make a night dive around Western Rocky for all the night treasures Burma offers. A great day's diving complete!
Day Eight - 2 dives
Two good dives around Western Rockies or closer to the mainland - then we cruise to Kaw Thaung for border clearance and maybe some sightseeing. Relax on board, sort pictures, snooze a little and enjoy the sunset as we cruise south to Thai waters and more great dives in the Similan Islands.
Day Nine - 2 dives
Last but not least, East of Eden or Anita's Reef followed by Boulder City or Shark Fin Reef - a great way to end a super 9 day safari. Make sure you leave some space on your memory card for loads of reef fishes, pelagics, sharks, nudis and more! Then enjoy lunch as we cruise south to Patong, Phuket. The crew will rinse your gear for you. We arrive at approx 16:00 hours for your transfer to your hotel in Phuket. Remember you will need one day between diving and flying home or elsewhere to explore more of Southeast Asia.
TOTAL DIVES FOR BURMA SAFARI - 30 (22 in Burma, 8 in Thailand)
Itinerary subject to change.
Package includes:
Not included: airfare to Phuket, Thai National Park fee of 1800 baht, Burmese entry visa fee of $230 cash, fuel surcharge if in effect at time of departure, equipment rental if needed, Nitrox if desired, beer and wine, crew gratuity, trip insurance (recommended for this vacation), and dive medical insurance such as DAN (required).
Air Connections:
From North America, we recommend flying non-stop on Thai Airways from LAX on the night of Friday, February 5 to arrive early on the morning of Sunday, February 7 to join us for a pre-trip to Cambodia and the wonders of Angkor Wat. Price and detailed itinerary can be found here.
If you can't make the pre-trip, Phuket (HKT) is well-served from Bangkok and many other Asian gateway cities. Meet us there on the afternoon of Thursday, February 11.
Deposit: $700 to hold your space; second payment of $750 due nine months prior to departure;
third payment of $750 due 180 days prior to departure, and final payment due 120 days prior to departure.
To book this Undersea Expedition, contact your travel agent!
