Also know as The Myeik Archipelago, the Megui region is stretched down at the very southern tip of Burma and was off-limits to foreigners until only the last decade. Consequently the area remains utterly unexplored by modern Western travellers. Because of this seclusion, these environs have only been superficially charted; the interior of many of the islands has never been surveyed at all. If you venture down here the only other humans you will see, besides the remote possibility of a couple of dive boats, are the nomadic sea gypsies.
Take some time to study the map and consider where we are – deep down on the Andaman coast, just over the border from the touristy Southern Thai islands. Its is one of the final paradise idylls yet to to be developed – even now there are only a scattering of just-about-acceptable options available.
Central to the region is the archipelago, covering an area of over 1,200 square miles and made up of over 800 islands of which all but two are uninhabited! Most are covered in lush vegetation & often fringed with soft white margins of sand.
The archipelago shelters the Moken sea-tribe, a nomadic group of around 3,000 who live in hand-made wooden boats & stilt-houses just off the coast. Expert free divers, they make a living by searching for mother-of-pearl & oysters. They catch their own fish & barter with what they don’t eat themselves.
If you are searching for an unconventional destination for world-class diving, then the unexplored remote waters of the Mergui Archipelago could be just the thing for you. There are a choice of live aboard boats to suite most budgets and experience levels. The dive sites offer a wealth of diversity from macro delights to gigantic manta rays, and all safe in the knowledge that the waters will definitely not be crowded. The chances are that you probably will not see another dive boat for days!
There is also a plethora of birdlife in this remote area. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your view, there is only one place to be able to view it from, namely Fork Island, as this is the only island with reasonable standard accommodation – The Andaman Resort.
