"Burma - Diving its Waters" Burma by DSwede

I only visited the small boarder city of Kawthoung for a day while getting my Visa processed (entered by boat from Thailand).

This city served as our entry point to the Burmese waters where a group of us dove off of a liveaboard for 8 days. We dove off of several islands, but did not again set foot on solid ground.

Then there’s the scuba diving. The water was warm, like bath water (83F/28C). Fish life was healthy, as well as diverse. There were mating cuttlefish, manta rays, barracuda, entire walls carpeted with anemones, lobsters, scorpion fish, lion fish, frog fish, seahorses, leopard sharks… the list goes on.

Fishermen on patrol

This boat is a larger size fishing boat compared to most that we saw. It is a primary business and way of life for the coastal villages.

There are many islands and remote corners of the reefs where we did see evidence of blasting. Some locals will put an explosive charge inside a glass or plastic bottle, then submerge it. The compressive shockwave will kill most fish in the area and unfortunately too, alot of the coral reefs. Authorities are trying to stop it, but conservation is not a common idea.