The Burma Banks
The Burma Banks are a series of large underwater flat-topped
sea-mounts that lie approximately 180 kilometers (100 nautical
miles) northwest of the Similan Islands. The banks' surrounding
water is over 350 meters 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 kilometer area lies within the
exclusive economic zone of 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 traveling so far out to sea. The reason is
for different types of environments not found in Thailand. And,
at the banks, you have a good chance of seeing sharks. Although
not as common as in years past, the chances are better here than
in Thailand for sure.
These days, most boats are spending more time in the Mergui
Archipelago proper (further inshore) than out at the banks
for five reasons. First, the diving inshore is so good. Second,
we tend to see more sharks like gray reef sharks inshore and
not here at the banks. Third, the currents can get very strong
out here, and novice divers have no business being here at all.
Forth, there is no protection from any kind of weather. Fifth,
the distances out to the banks are far, and often times not worth
it. Your divemaster is going to be in the best position to make
this decision. See the Mergui section for more information.
When you see sharks at the banks, the most
common type of shark is the nurse shark that grows to over 3
meters in length. Where else can you go to see
nurse sharks
freely swimming nose-to-tail over the top of the reef, 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 as it is 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
Nikonos 15 mm lens?
If the nurse sharks are the clowns, then the silver tips are
the stars. Reaching an impressive length of two to three meters,
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.
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 90º to
180º very quickly-and very fast. It is common to drift over
one kilometer on certain dives-assuming the current is taking
you in the directly 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 signaling 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.
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