Transfer to Ranong Pier and boarding 1-2 PM
Welcome cocktail, Thai Immigration procedure, safety and trip briefing 2-3 PM
Cruising to Kawthoung followed by Burmese Immigration procedure 3-4 PM
Dinner on board while cruising to the Mergui Archipelago 4 -11 PM
Breakfast on board anchored at High Rock 7 - 8 AM
1st and 2nd dive at High Rock and Rocky Island 8 AM - 12 PMLunch on board while sailing to 3 Islets 12 PM - 2 PM
3rd and 4th dive at 3 Islets 2 - 7 PM
Dinner on board while cruising to Black Rock 7 PM - 3 AM
High Rock
This is a tiny islet with a lonely tree growing on the top. Underwater, you will find a steep rocky reef with lots of tube and fan corals. Lots of critters hang around the cracks including nudibranchs, pipefish and seahorses. Visibility and currents can sometimes be challenging but it is a rewarding site.
Breakfast on board anchored at Black Rock7 - 8 AM
5th and 6th dive at Black Rock 8 - 11 AM
Lunch on board anchored at Black Rock11 AM - 1 PM
7th and 8th dive at Black Rock 1 PM - 5 PM
Dinner on board while cruising to the Burma Banks 5 PM - 7 AM
Black Rock
Black Rock stands alone in the Andaman Sea 100 miles northwest of the Thai-Burmese border town of Kawthaung. The rock acts as a natural magnet for fish and other marine life. An excellent multi-level site, you can start your dive anywhere around the perimeter, depending on currents.
The underwater terrain on the south side consists of the vertical wall down to roughly 27m, where it becomes a more gradual slope. Just off the south-west corner is a particularly interesting area, where a detached rock formation rises from very deep water to about 24m. These rocks are covered with small, vibrant soft corals, and often attract schooling snappers and rainbow runners.
Back at the main islet, deeper sections are decorated with orange gorgonian fans, along with fields of corallimorpharians (they look like stony corals) on the sloping west and north sides. At the eastern tip, watch for vast numbers of magnificent anemones, especially at dawn and dusk when they show off their colorful bases. A wide range of invertebrate life can be found at Black Rock, including smashing and spearing mantis shrimp, spiny lobsters, hermit crabs,
sea stars, cowrie shells, harlequin shrimp, octopus, and cuttlefish.
During safety stops, move slowly along the eastern and western ends of the south wall to find brilliantly colored elegant hermit crabs and a variety of nudibranchs, as well as golden wentletrap snails that feed on the orange cup coral. Fish life is also abundant and varied, with a chance to see almost anything from scorpion fish and giant morays to marbled stingrays. Mantas and even whale sharks are also sometimes visitors of this site.
Breakfast on board anchored at the Burma Banks 7 AM - 8 AM
9th and 10th dive at the Burma Banks 8 AM - 12 PM
Lunch on board cruisng at the Burma Banks 12 PM - 2 PM
11th dive at the Burma Banks 2 PM - 3 PM
Sailing to Fan Forest followed by dinner on board 3 PM - 1 AM
Shark Cave aka Three Islets
All around this site, marine life is extremely rich and diverse. There are three different rocky islets with vertical walls as well as a sloping reef. Many areas are populated with fields of anemones, which are home to five different species of anemonefish. Elsewhere, large tubastrea coral trees sprout from the rocky terrain, accompanied by crinoids, gorgonian fans, and pastel green rope sponge. Tiger tail seahorses are often encountered on the deep edges of the slope, as are many varieties of morays – often several species in the same hole. Cuttlefish may be found at nearly any depth, sometimes courting and mating. Ornate ghost pipefish, cowrie shells, octopus, reef squid, jawfish, porcelain crabs, long nose pipefish, and mantis shrimps are often seen at this site. Scorpion fish are very abundant, so be careful where you place your hands! Between the three pinnacles and surrounding bottom, Shark Cave easily lends itself to several dives to enjoy the diversity of the reef and to marvel in the chasm of the Shark Cave! Nurse sharks can be found lurking inside the cavern along with marble
rays, ghost pipefish and plenty of other fascinating creatures, including blue ribbon eels.
Breakfast on board anchored at Fan Forest7 - 8 AM
11th and 12th dive at Fan Forest 8 AM - 12 PM
Lunch on board while cruising to Western Rocky 12 PM - 2 PM
13th and 14th dive at Western Rocky 2 PM - 7 PM
Dinner on board 7 PM - 11 PM
Fan Forest & Western Rocky
As the name Fan Forest Pinnacle suggests, it is a submerged pinnacle famous for the number of gorgonian sea fans. The biggest gorgonians are in deeper waters around 20 m and below.
They are very healthy and support a large variety of marine life including feather stars, cowries, hawkfish and shrimps. Schooling fish include snapper, trevally, rainbow runners and fusiliers. Moray eels and scorpion fish are also numerous.
A short trip south of Sea Fan, Western Rocky is the scene of dramatic underwater terrain on this excellent dive site, which consists of the main islet plus several detached pinnacles. Among the more striking features of the main islet is a huge underwater archway where schooling snapper often hang out.
The soft limestone island is riddled with holes and crevices, providing hiding places for hinge-beak, saron and harlequin shrimps, thorny oysters, cowrie shells, nudibranchs, spiny lobsters and moray eels.
Large gorgonian fans and lush soft corals populate many of the deeper areas, while shallow portions of the south side wall are covered with orange cup corals and colorful encrusting sponges. Fish life can include almost anything from ornate ghost pipefish to frog fish to schooling batfish. Western Rocky pinnacle is shaped like a cheese wedge covered by both hard and soft corals, lots of trevally and tuna, and if you are lucky, the elusive bow mouth guitarfish.
Breakfast on board anchored at Western Rocky 7 AM - 8 AM
15th and 16th dive at Western Rocky Pinnacle 8 AM - 12 PM
Lunch on board 12 - 2 PM
17th and 18th dive at Western Rocky 2 - 6 PM
Dinner on board while cruising to Kawthoung 6 - 11 PM
Breakfast on board during Burmese immigration procedure 7 - 9 AM
Thai immigration procedure and disembarking in Ranong 9 - 10 AM
