Gateways: The Mergui Archipelago and The Andaman Island

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Unexplored Indian Ocean diving frontiers for truly dedicated divers
The Mergui Archipelago is named from a small town in Myanmar (Burma), which was once part of Siam. Thailand's name before World War 2. The area has a long history of trade activity in the Andaman Sea. In the 17th century, goods from Europe and India were transported by ship to Mergui and then taken by elephant over the mountains into the then capital of Siam. Ayutthaya.

Since the beginning of WW2. this group of islands has been cut off from the outside world, and is virtually unpopulated. Only in 1997 were boats allowed to visit the area, and now several operators from Phuket and Ranong are taking divers and bird watchers on expeditions and onboard diving trips. Many of the over 800 islands in the archipelago are national parks, protected by the Myanmar Government.

The area has not. obviously, been explored thoroughly, and only over the next few years will operators be able to document the area fully and discover its secrets. Reports at the time of this writing are beautiful coral gardens, visibility exceeding 30 meters offshore, lots of sharks and rays something we do not have a lot of here in Thailand and schools of pelagic fish. With the opening of this huge area, divers will have many, many more dive sites available to them than they had previously. The other reason to visit the area is the vast amount of wildlife to be found there, including hornbills. jungle cats, wild elephants, otters, and possibly even rhinoceros. You'll be hearing a lot more about Mergui in the next few years.

A part of India, the Andaman Islands are one of the world's newest diving destinations and have yet to be properly explored either. After a 50-year period of virtual isolation from the outside world, the Indian government has decided to allow limited, environmentally conscious tourism development in the islands.

The Andaman's modern history began as a British penal colony for Indian radical elements. During WW2. it was occupied by a small Japanese force. Once India gained its independence from Britain. India initiated a limited colonization program and at the same time, committed itself to protecting the island's aboriginal population and its natural environment.


THE MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO AND THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS
On the surrounding islands live some of the last stone-age peoples on the earth. One tribe, the Sentinelese. are isolated on their own tiny tropical island. North Sentinel, and no visitors are allowed: no camera crews, no journalists, no scientists, and no researchers. Contact has been attempted only a few times by the Indian government and the locals have made it rather clear-by throwing primitive spears and shooting arrows at the parties-that they do not want to be disturbed.

The islands have no modern fishing fleet and commercial fishing licenses are granted to foreign operators only on a limited basis. Thus, the waters surrounding the islands are simply full of fish that have almost never been disturbed by modern man. And. since the islands only opened recently, most of the off-shore diving areas have been dived by less than 100 people.

Although in many of the near shore areas the visibility is limited, the off-shore islands such as Passage Island, Barren Island, and Narcondam are rich in marine life-huge fish, sharks, manta rays, unbelievable coral growth-and are blessed with crystal-clear water. The Andamans are certainly not for everyone. It requires spending long periods of time on boats and traveling almost every night in order to get to the best spots. However, for those interested in the best of frontier diving via Thailand, this is it.

Due to its superior infrastructure, diving expertise, and facilities. Thailand is the logical gateway to begin exploring both the Mergui Archipelago and the Andaman Islands. How to get there: Boats can be chartered or individually booked from several dive companies in Phuket, both for the Mergui Archipelago or to the Andaman Islands.