Burma vs. Similan/Surin

We are going to Thailand mid-January next year, and are considering a
liveaboard trip.
It seems the Burma trips are significantly more expensive than those to
Similan/Surin. Is Burma worth the extra money? Can anyone recommend a good
liveaboard operator? What are the "must-see" dive sites in the region?

Thank!
Mads

I was there a few years ago and did not dive Burma so can't comment on the
"quality". At the time though, the reason that it was more expensive had
nothing to do with the diving, but was political. Only a certain number of
boats (and tourists) were allowed into Burma waters and they pay a very high
tax to do so. At the time, the rules were changing often and even the
operators didn't know if they would be allowed to enter or not. The trip I
did was sold as "maybe Burma"...we didn't even attempt it.
BTW, the diving was fantastic...I booked last minute and got an amazing deal
too!
Elisa


"Mads L Nielsen" <mln@com.dtu.dk> wrote in message
news:br08bi$1l6v$1@news.cybercity.dk...
> We are going to Thailand mid-January next year, and are considering a
> liveaboard trip.
> It seems the Burma trips are significantly more expensive than those to
> Similan/Surin. Is Burma worth the extra money? Can anyone recommend a good
> liveaboard operator? What are the "must-see" dive sites in the region?
>
> Thank!
> Mads
>
>

A lot of areas around burma banks have been heavily fished (they often
use explosives) Some times there is substantial boat traffic in
better dive spots.The diving is very good.
Similan islands are great. Vis is always excellent, minor drift
currents and lots of fish. There are quite a few operators out of
both khoa lak and phuket. just get on the internet look at
undercurrent.org. seabees has a nice liveaboard, try emailing :
jurgenhertoghe@hotmail.com
he has a dive shop in phuket and books trips to both places. don't
spend all your time on a boat as there is lots to do on land.
thailand is a wonderful country.

you could try www.damnam.org/forums (Thai Diving Club) have some
independent views of Burma on their site


--
whitehead
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted via DeeperBlue.net - Your Online Resource for the UnderWater World.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
whitehead's Profile: http://forums.deeperblue.net/member....fo&userid=1545
View this thread on DeeperBlue.net: http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthr...threadid=40597



----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups
---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

In article <br08bi$1l6v$1@news.cybercity.dk>, Mads L Nielsen
<mln@com.dtu.dk> wrote:

> We are going to Thailand mid-January next year, and are considering a
> liveaboard trip.
> It seems the Burma trips are significantly more expensive than those to
> Similan/Surin. Is Burma worth the extra money? Can anyone recommend a good
> liveaboard operator? What are the "must-see" dive sites in the region?

I've done liveaboards in the area every year for the past six or seven
years. I've done three Burma trips and the rest in the Similans and
thereabouts.

If you can afford it and if you have the time, Burma is definitely
worth a shot. While some of the reefs have suffered dynamite damage,
the variety of species you see is, in my opinion, pretty much
unmatched. And, for the most part and with the exception of the Burma
Banks, you are likely to be the only dive boat around. This contrasts
with the Similans where there is great competition for moorings and
where a half dozen or more dive boats can be at a given site at a given
time. Plus, the Burma trips have a sense of adventure that seems to be
lacking in the Similan voyages.

That said, I find the shorter Similan trips to be well worth the cost:
fine boats, good diving, great food, wonderful fun. A vacation I'm
likely to repeat for years to come.

As far as operators go, for the past two years I've gone on the Mermaid
II. The price is mid-range, the accomodation excelent and the dive
platform superb. But there are dozens of operators out there and I'm
sure many of them are just as good.

http://www.mermaid-liveaboards.com/

--
Saipan and Narita Layover Pages:
http://www.mgnewman.com

"Mike Newman" <mike.newman_nospam@saipan.com> wrote in message
news:090120041428019507%mike.newman_nospam@saipan. com...
> In article <br08bi$1l6v$1@news.cybercity.dk>, Mads L Nielsen
> <mln@com.dtu.dk> wrote:
>
> > We are going to Thailand mid-January next year, and are considering a
> > liveaboard trip.
> > It seems the Burma trips are significantly more expensive than those to
> > Similan/Surin. Is Burma worth the extra money? Can anyone recommend a
good
> > liveaboard operator? What are the "must-see" dive sites in the region?

I have enjoyed Ocean Rover out of Phuket once and I return to Thailand on
Wednesday 1/14/03 for a ten day cruise thru the Andaman Sea on Ocean Rover
again, most of which will be Myanmar (Burma) diving. I can't say how it
compares to other live-aboards there pricewise, but I can say it is state of
the art liveaboard diving and the crew is excellent. I return to the US on
the 28th of January this year so if you'd like to know how my trip went and
ask any questions about the diving or the boat please feel free to e-mail me
anytime after that date. My last trip was during a different time of the
year and we had some ripping currents at about half the divesites. I have
been advised that the early part of the year (Jan-Feb) is the best time for
diving Andaman Sea so I have chosen this time to return. I am hoping for
maybe more nominal conditions because the diving is really something special
given the populations and species present in the area.

I hope to hear from you and I hope I can be of some help at that time.