Smiling Seahorse Itinerary
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N9 days / 8 nights
About Smiling Seahorse
- Comfort and dive adventures onboard a purpose-built liveaboard vessel
- Exciting safaris exploring the best dive sites in Thailand and Myanmar
- Outstanding facilities for divers and underwater photographers
- Incredible encounters with mantas, macro, and everything in between
The Smiling Seahorse liveaboard is a recently constructed dive safari boat offering liveaboard adventures in Thailand and Myanmar's Andaman Sea. You'll enjoy easy diving and smooth sailing from this spacious and stable vessel, complete with comfortable cabins and common areas, outstanding facilities for scuba divers, and a fun social atmosphere. Plus, impeccable service from the crew, happy to help with whatever you might need. This vessel offers some of Thailand’s best diving itineraries as well as a camera room, making it a top pick among underwater photographers and dedicated scuba divers.
Itinerary details
Length of trip 9 days / 8 nights
Number of dives 29
Experience Advanced Open Water - Minimum 20 dives
Insurance Required
Highlights
- Circular itinerary exploring new dive sites in Burma
- Exceptional typography and visibility of South Twin Island
- Encounter manta rays at Black Rock
- Meet Shark Cave’s resident nurse sharks
- Spot both manta rays and eagle rays of North Twin
- Exploratory dives in the shark paradise of Burma Banks
- Search for whale sharks at Western Rocky
- Seek the rare bowmouth guitarfish at Western Rocky
- Chance to find seahorses and pipefish at Volcano Island
- Night dives included
Day 1:
Meet at the dive centre headquarters between 10:00-12:00 for check in. At 14:00, we will head to the immigration office to get the necessary exit stamps from Thailand and then make our way to board the magnificent MV Smiling Seahorse. Upon crossing the border into Myanmar, immigration officers will board in Kawthaung and do the necessary border crossing screening. Once the paperwork is completed, we will head out to sea! At sunset we will hold a ceremony to launch our voyage. Then it will be time for your first scrumptious meal before being rocked to sleep by the waves.
Day 2:
Wake up to the friendly call of the ocean as we start the cruise with a day at South Twin Island. Sitting in the outskirts of the Mergui Archipelago, this dive site is quite scenic with consistent crystal visibility and a topography of huge granite boulders. We have even been lucky enough to start the voyage off in style with a guest appearance from a majestic manta ray. Macro lovers will also be treated to chances of ghost pipefish, seahorses and frogfish! We end the first day of diving with a night dive searching for pygmy squid, candy crabs, cowries and nudibranchs!
Day 3:
Enjoy 4 dives around the very special "Shark Cave", with 3 dive sites to explore. In the afternoon we explore a paradise beach or a small fishermen settlement. In Shark Cave you can expect to see nurse sharks or big blotched sting rays, a lot of Mantis Shrimp and crustaceans of all types. The coral around makes it a very colourful dive site. For the night dive, you'll have the choice and can go to the site you preferred from the 3 you saw. This is a night dive you certainly shouldn't miss!
Day 4:
After a night of crossing, we will reach Black Rock, a small rock out in the open sea. Here we are hoping for the big stuff like sharks and rays and whatever is passing. This is the place to go for "Manta Festival" with manta rays coming in dozens from everywhere (no guarantee of course, but they are pretty common). The conditions this far in the open sea are a bit more challenging and currents make it a different style of diving to other areas of Mergui. This is probably the best dive site in Myanmar and is still seldom visited by divers.
Day 5:
We stay offshore with North Twin and its pinnacle where you will have more chances to cross Manta Rays and sometimes eagle rays. Because there are many patches of sand between the boulders, we also sighted Leopard Sharks sleeping quite regularly. Giant Sea Fans are also often hiding magnificent macro critters so look thoroughly!
Day 6:
We will take it one step further west toward the Burma Banks for some exploratory dives. We hope to have some exceptional dives and you may be the first divers to explore some of these dive sites.
Day 7:
The first 2 dives will be around Seafan Forest, a gorgeous site with giant sea fans on one side and purple vibrant soft coral on the others. We can see up to 4 whale sharks at the same time on this site! We will do the next 2 dives around Western Rocky which is also absolutely amazing.
Day 8:
Western Rocky area is one of the Highlights of the entire Mergui Archipelago with its tunnel that goes all the way through the island inhabited by many lobsters. We will do 3 dives here but the first one will be on a submerged pinnacle for spectacular scenery and schooling fish action! We have spotted here various shark species (bowmouth guitarfish, whale shark, reef sharks) and often see resident harlequin shrimp, frogfish, seahorses and lots of crustaceans and nudibranchs.
Day 9:
The last dive goes into a volcano where a group of black tip sharks likes to hang around, it is also a site rich in macro life. Here the question is not if you will see a seahorse, the question is how many? Up to 10 per dive if you have good eyes as well as rare species such as shaded batfish, comet long fins or pineapple fish.
After the last dive we will head back toward Kawthaung where you can visit the local market or enjoy The Smiling Seahorse's hospitality with a refreshing beer at the local pub. Once we get our passports back from the Burmese authorities, we will head back to Thailand where we will get a new visa. We will be back at Ranong around 17:00 to disembark.
Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.
Transfer details
Departure
02:00pm
Bodin Pier, Ranong
Ranong Airport: UNN
Return
06:00pm
Bodin Pier, Ranong
Ranong Airport: UNN
Choose your trip
03
Nov
2026
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9 days / 8 nights
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
03Nov 26
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9D / 8N
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
01
Dec
2026
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9 days / 8 nights
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
01Dec 26
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9D / 8N
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
15
Jan
2027
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9 days / 8 nights
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Limited availability
15Jan 27
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9D / 8N
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Limited availability
21
Feb
2027
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9 days / 8 nights
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
21Feb 27
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9D / 8N
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Sold out
13
Apr
2027
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9 days / 8 nights
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Limited availability
13Apr 27
Burma - Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks (Ranong) 8N
9D / 8N
•
29 dives
from $2,443 /guest
Limited availability
Current availability and prices: https://www.zubludiving.com/itineraries/smiling-seahorse/itn-2303280324581-burma-mergui-archipelago-and-burma-banks-ranong-8n