Burma
Banks Diving
Burma
Scuba Diving
The Burma Banks
By John Williams, Photographs by Ashley
J. Boyd
| Reef
type: |
Underwater
banks, fairly flat profile |
| Access: |
Liveaboard
boat from Phuket or Ranong |
| Visibility: |
Variable
from 10-50 metres (33-164 feet) |
| Current: |
Variable,
often strong |
| Coral: |
Some
good spots, but that's not why we're here |
| Fish: |
Fantastic,
very exciting; everything |
| Highlights: |
Silvertip
sharks, nurse sharks, exciting currents, really wild diving.
Shark feeding |
|
A largely unexplored area, the Burma Banks are a series of large
underwater, flat-topped sea mounts that lie approximately 180 kilometres
(111 miles) northwest of the Similan Islands. The Banks' surrounding
waters are over 350 metres (1148 feet) deep and large areas rise
to within the depth limits of recreational scuba diving. The name
derives from the fact that this 1,500 square kilometre (579 square
mile) area lies within the exclusive economic zone of Myanmar (Burma).
The Banks offer some exciting, stimulating diving, but since this
is true open ocean diving, they certainly are not for everyone.
These mountains rise very gradually from the depths and are covered
with hard coral growth and large patches of sand. Although the huge
plate corals (some of these 'plates' could seat all the knights
of the round table easily) are in many areas fantastic, that is
not the reason for travelling so far out to sea. After all, the
Similans and the islands north of them boast of some of the loveliest
coral in the world. No, the reason for diving all the way out here
is for what the Similans don't have; BIG ANIMALS - and that means
big sharks as well.
Close shark encounters are virtually guarantied here. The most
common type of shark is the nurse shark that grows to over 3 metres
(10 feet) in length. Where else can you go to see dozens of large
nurse sharks freely swimming nose-to-tail over the top of the reef
on every dive, animals which have so little fear of divers that
they sometimes accidentally swim harmlessly (for both parties) into
us? They are truly the clowns of the banks and it's difficult not
to laugh at their frenzied movements. Not enough? How about large
silver tip sharks that when attracted by bait swim within range
of your Nikon's 15 mm lens.
 |
If the nurse sharks are the clowns, then the silver tips are the
stars. Reaching an impressive length of 2 to 3 metres (6 to 10 feet),
these sharks - often compared to the Galapagos shark and easily
identified by the white trailing edge on their pelvic, dorsal, and
caudal fins - are full-bodied, serious predators. Although cautious
by nature, and certainly not aggressive towards divers, these sharks
are spotted on virtually every dive. And these days, all three of
the diving companies that visit the banks feature a controlled shark
attraction by placing fish in the water down current from all divers,
baiting the sharks in for an up-close, personal look.
These attractions offer the opportunity to photograph these silver
tips and nurse sharks, with the occasional tiger or hammerhead making
an appearance. In addition, you'll see larger reef fish than in
other areas of Thailand, such as huge sweet lips and the occasional
grouper. The most common diving technique at the banks are large
drift dives over the mountain flats. Currents can be quite tricky
here-sometimes changing in direction 90 to 180 very quickly -
and very fast. It is common to drift over one kilometre (half a
mile) on certain dives - assuming the current is taking you in the
direction you originally planned! All dive operators that dive at
the banks are strict with safety rules. Although these vary slightly
from operator to operator, it is roughly agreed that all divers
must dive with a 'safety sausage', a whistle or other signalling
device, and that either the dingy or the larger vessel should follow
the diver's bubbles on the surface. Finally, it is a must that buddy
pairs stay together at all times, and in fact some operators insist
that divers dive in a group of at least four. To become separated
from your dive boat this far from land would surely be a disaster.
Source: Siam Dive n' Sail
121/9 Patak Road, Mu 4, Karon, 83100 Phuket, Thailand
Tel: 66-76/330-967 Fax: 66-76/330-990
E-mail: info@siamdivers.com
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