top of page
MyAnMar Thailand mergui Archipelago

 Encompassing over 800 islands across 12,000 km2 of crystalline waters, Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks offer some truly breathtaking diving away from the masses. Gorgeous underwater landscapes consisting of isolated pinnacles, caves and tunnels, soft and hard corals, vibrant marine life and exclusive, rarely visited dive sites are just part of the appeal of time spent cruising this region of the Andaman Sea. 

Experience 8 days and 7 nights of  diving one of the most spectacular and sought after dive locations in the world.

Payment Plan:

$500 deposit

 

10% a month starting December 2026 until 1 Sep 2027 upon which time balance will be due

OR

1 Dec  2026- 25%

1 Mar  2027-  25%

1 Jun  2027-  25%

1 Sep 2027- 25% or balance will be due.

Accepted payments: credit card, check, venmo, cash app, cash, paypal (service fees may apply)

February 7- 14 2028

Premium Cabin- $3675 (Double Occupancy) Quad Room (Quadruple Occupancy)-$2765

  • Shared cabin accommodation

  • Full board - breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner

  • Tea, coffee, fruit juice and drinking water

  • Up to 4 dives per day

  • 11 litre (80 cuft) cylinder with air fills

  • Weights, weight belt and SMB

  • Deck and bath towels

  • Shared transfer from Phuket to Ranong on embarkation day (2 pick-up locations and times only)

  • Shared transfer from Ranong Airport or Ranong hotel to the boat on embarkation day

  • Shared transfer from Ranong to Phuket on disembarkation day

Not included: 

  • Flights, Additional / Private transfers

  • Marine park and port fees $280*

  • Myanmar visa $50

  • Unlimited Nitrox $210

  • Equipment rental

    • 100 cubic foot tanks- $84

  • Alcoholic drinks

    • wine $27.5/bottle

    • beer $2.5 each

  • Gratuities (10-20% recommended)

 

*All surcharges, including marine, park and port fees, are subject to change at any time, and without notice.

The applicable marine park fees for your itinerary will be added to your onboard extras to be paid on the boat before disembarkation.

ITINERARY

Number of scheduled dives: 

● 7 nights: Up to 22 

 

Safety and dive briefings are conducted in English. If you, or any of your group, do not speak or understand English, please contact us. 

The following is an example of the day-to-day itinerary. 

Day 1: Visit immigration in Ranong for Thailand exit formalities followed by embarkation, lunch, and orientation briefings. We then make the short crossing to Kawthung in Myanmar for immigration entry formalities before cruising into the archipelago. 

There is no diving on embarkation day. 

 

Day 2-6

Your Cruise Director will schedule up to 4 dives per day; 3 day dives and, where possible, a sunset or night dive. A typical diving day is scheduled as follows: 

● Light Breakfast followed by a briefing and Dive 1 

● Full Breakfast, relaxation followed by briefing and Dive 2 

● Lunch, relaxation followed by briefing and Dive 3 

● Snack 

● Briefing for Dive 4 

● Dinner 

 

Day 7 : We usually schedule 2 morning dives before cruising to Horseshoe Island for an afternoon beach visit and snacks before the vessel returns to Kawthaung. 

Disembarkation Day: Breakfast and Myanmar immigration clearance onboard followed by disembarkation between 08:30 and 09:00 a.m. and a visit to the Thai Immigration Office in Ranong to obtain your re-entry stamp before the transfer to Phuket Airport or your hotel. 

IMG_1771.JPG
Myanmar - Richard Whitcombe - Large4_edi
Screenshot 2025-12-02 at 10.42.09 AM.png
Myanmar - Richard Whitcombe - Large3.jpg

Transfers

​​​​

  

A shared transfer between Phuket Airport or local hotels and Thailand Master on embarkation and disembarkation days only is included in the liveaboard price. 

 

Phuket Airport is a 1-1½ hour drive from Tap Lamu, and 2-2½ hour drive from Chalong. 

Please allow at least 2½ hours for international flight check-in and 1½ to 2 hours for domestic flights. 

Advice on International Flights 

Numerous international airlines operate regular flights to Phuket, although some involve a short hop from a local hub such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad Airlines fly direct to Phuket from their base countries, as do many Southeast Asian airlines. We recommend arriving in Phuket at least 1 day before 

This itinerary involves some long-distance travel and, while we endeavour to ensure the number of scheduled dives is fulfilled, weather and sea conditions can affect the boat's ability to reach a specific dive site in good time and may impact the number of dives possible. 

Myanmar - Rocky Island night dive.jpg

Dive Sites

While we wish to show you the very best diving possible, the safety of all on board remains paramount throughout each itinerary. The following is an overview of dive sites we may visit during the Mergui Archipelago liveaboard itinerary. 

Disclaimer: This information below is only a general indication of the areas that we usually visit and some of the possible dive sites; the inclusion of specifically named areas or dive sites is not guaranteed. Various factors determine which locations are selected to dive on each trip, including sea and weather conditions and itinerary duration. If we are unable to visit a specific area for any reason, we will offer diving at alternative locations. 

Rocky Island a.k.a. High Rock 

This is a tiny islet with a solitary tree growing on the top, located roughly 75 kilometres northwest of Kawthuang. Beneath the surface, you will find a steep rocky reef with a variety of corals and a huge, colourful anemone garden where large schools of yellow five-lined snappers hang out. A garden of small granite boulders at depth provides a home for octopus, cuttlefish and numerous moray eels. The cracks provide refuge for plenty of critters for macro lovers to discover including nudibranchs, pipefish, razorfish and seahorses while hunting wahoo, tuna, and barracuda can be spotted passing in the blue. Visibility and currents can sometimes be challenging but it is a rewarding site. 

North Twin & South Twin 

Strong currents around these granite islands bring with them groups of schooling barracuda, hunting tuna and mating cuttlefish. With often clear visibility the atmosphere on the reef at North Twin is breathtaking. Healthy Gorgonian sea fans can be admired at depth, while soft corals adorn the reef and bring plenty of vibrancy and colour. 

North Twin features a sloping reef strewn with huge boulders covered with soft corals and encrusting sponges. Sweetlips, barracuda, a variety of angel fish and many smaller creatures including devil scorpion fish, pipe fish, shrimps and flabellina nudibranchs can be found all over the reef. Mantas may also be seen here. 

On South Twin, you will find large boulders, steep-walled gorges, wide valleys, caverns and swim-throughs carved out of the granite foundations of the island. You can expect to see an abundance of moray eels, harlequin sweetlips, and cuttlefish. Eagle and devil rays may fly by while Kuhl’s stingrays and spotted garden eels can be seen on the sandy bottom. 

Sea Fan Forest 

As the name suggests, this submerged pinnacle, starting at 5 metres depth, is famous for its abundance of gorgonian sea-fans. The biggest gorgonians are in deeper waters around 20m and below. They are very healthy and support a wide 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. We are also likely to encounter giant marbled groupers and eagle rays here. 

Western Rocky 

A short cruise south of Sea Fan Forest, Western Rocky consists of a main islet and several detached pinnacles. Among the most striking features is a huge underwater archway where schooling snappers often hang out. The soft limestone island is riddled with holes and crevices, providing hiding places for hinge-beak shrimp, thorny oysters, cowrie snails, 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 colourful encrusting sponges. Fish life can include almost anything from ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses and frogfish to schooling batfish and barracudas. Several kilometres south of the main islet, Western Rocky Pinnacle is shaped like a cheese wedge covered with hard and soft corals, lots of trevally and tuna and, if you are lucky, guitar sharks resting in the sand. 

Black Rock 

Black Rock stands alone in the Andaman Sea acting as a natural magnet for oceanic mantas and other large pelagics such as whale sharks and eagle rays. The underwater terrain consists of sloping reefs around most of the island with a vertical wall down to roughly 27 metres on the south side where it becomes a more gradual slope. Deeper sections are decorated with orange gorgonian fans, along with fields of Corallimorpharia and, at the eastern tip, you will find vast numbers of magnificent anemones. Offthe southwest corner a detached rock formation, covered with small, vibrant soft corals rises from very deep water to about 24 metres where we often see schooling snappers and rainbow runners. 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. 

Three Islets 

The three sites across these tiny islands (Shark Cave, Submarine and Square Rock) are rich with diverse marine life and a mix of caves, canyons, vertical walls, and sloping reefs. Many areas are populated with fields of anemones providing homes to five different species of anemonefish. Elsewhere, large tubastrea coral trees sprout from the rocky terrain, accompanied by crinoids, gorgonian fans, blue dragons, and pastel green rope sponge. Tiger tail seahorses are often encountered on the deep edges of the slope, as are a variety of moray eels with several species regularly sharing 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, longnose pipefish, and mantis shrimps are often seen at this site. Scorpionfish are very abundant, so be careful where you place your hands! 

Burma Banks 

Probably the best-known Myanmar scuba diving area, the Burma Banks are a remote group of seamounts rising from depths of 300+ metres to 15 metres below the surface. Approximately 125 kilometres west of Kawthaung, the banks are part of a Myanmar economic zone, although they are situated within International waters. 

Diving around Burma Banks is highly dependent on weather and sea conditions and we will schedule a maximum of 3 dives each day that the boat is there, all of which will be during daylight hours. For safety reasons, there will be no night diving at Burma Banks. 

There are 6 banks in total, namely Big, Silvertip, Rainbow, Roe, Coral and Heckford which, due to their remote and exposed location, are susceptible to varying and often unpredictable currents making them challenging to dive, but well worth it for the delights they offer. 

Known for their dramatic topography, rich biodiversity and pelagic encounters, the vibrant reefs feature an abundance of colourful hard and soft corals and sponges, creating a stunning backdrop for any dive. Visibility is typically excellent, often reaching over 30 metres (100 feet), making it ideal for marine life observations and stunning underwater photographic opportunities. 

Shark Cave 

Easily lends itself to several dives, where you can enjoy the diversity of the reef and marvel at the chasm that splits the island. Nurse and white-tip reef sharks can sometimes be found lurking inside the deeper part of the cavern along with marble rays, ghost pipefish and plenty of other fascinating creatures, including blue ribbon eels. 

IMG_1768.JPG
The Yacht
Embarkation Point:  B.C.Badin Resort, Ranong 

Built and maintained to the specifications of the local regulatory agencies and the regulations of the country of the flag.

  • Length: 34m

  • Beam: 8m

  • Passengers: 18

  • Staterooms: 7

 

Thailand Master is a traditional Indonesian sailing yacht offering liveaboard dive holidays in Thailand and Myanmar, comfortably accommodating 18 divers. She boasts a spacious dive deck with plenty of storage space for all of your dive gear. The outdoor dining area at the stern is covered and shaded so you can fully take in the breath-taking views of Thailand and Myanmar. Every day, our chef prepares plenty of dishes from the famous Thai cuisine with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Friendly and experienced, our boat and dive crew are there to meet your every need, making your diving holiday in Thailand and Myanmar unforgettable.

All meals, snacks and beverages are provided.

Screenshot 2025-12-02 at 10.52.41 AM.png
Screenshot 2025-12-02 at 11.02.59 AM.png
Screenshot 2025-12-02 at 11.03.17 AM.png
Screenshot 2025-12-02 at 11.02.50 AM.png

Arrival/Departure Info

  • Arrival airport: Phuket International Airport (HKT) or Ranong Airport (UNN)* 

  • Departure airport: Phuket International Airport (HKT) or Ranong Airport (UNN)

  • Embarkation: Ranong* 

  • Disembarkation: Ranong 

  •  We advise guests joining a Mergui Archipelago itinerary on Thailand Master to fly into Phuket and arrive at least one day before their liveaboard embarkation date. 

​​Thailand Pre-Arrival Registration 

  • From 1st May 2025, all foreign travellers to Thailand must have a Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), which needs to be presented to Thai immigration officials. 

  • Registration can be completed online via the Immigration Bureau’s official TDAC webpage: tdac.immigration.go.th 

  • The TDAC can be completed up to three days before the arrival date in Thailand. The system will request information including Passport or Travel Document, personal details, travel details, accommodation in Thailand, and health details. 

  • Once submitted, the TDAC can be downloaded, or the confirmation received through the specified email address can be presented to the immigration officer upon arrival in Thailand. 

Medical/ Safe Travel Requirements:

 

All travelers are required to ensure that they individually meet the safety/ medical travel requirements into the host country. Please consult your physician if you have any concerns about your dive fitness readiness. Each guest is required to fill out a medical statements, and if needed, obtain a physicians clearance for diving. ​​

Dive accident insurance is required and trip insurance is strongly recommended. 

Guests Level of Diving

Divers joining a Mergui Archipelago itinerary on Thailand Master must have PADI Advanced Open Water certification, or equivalent, with a minimum of 30 logged dives and be certified to dive with Nitrox. Ideally, you should also have experience diving in currents. 

Divers who the crew feel have insufficient experience to dive safely in certain conditions may be advised to sit out of some dives during the liveaboard. 

Water Temperature and Exposure Suits 

The tropical waters of the Andaman Sea are consistently pleasant throughout the year, averaging around 28°C (82°F), However, thermoclines may be encountered at various times during the season, which can reduce temperatures by several degrees. Most guests find that a 3mm full-length wetsuit or shorty is suitable, and many divers are comfortable with just a skin-suit or shorts and rash guard. 

Guests who tend to get cold easily, especially after repetitive dives, are advised to bring extra thermal layers or the wetsuit they feel most comfortable in. 

2018 JoinDAN Square-250X250 px.jpg

Forms and Info

Detailed Itinerary

Thailand Master On Board Extras

Thailand Master Vessel Specifications

Know Before You Go

Medical Form

Master Liveaboards Liability Release

bottom of page