[attachment=341]PanoramaMergui.jpg[/attachment]


These notes have been kindly provided by a participant in the Royal Yacht Squadron cruise in company in the Mergui Archipelago in February 2016. Burma Boating, CEO Chris Shwanitz, Shwanitz.chris@burmaboating.comwere were very helpful and professional in arranging charters and giving advice.

The South East Asia Pilot by Andy Dowden & Bill O’Leary http://southeastasiapilot.com/ is highly recommended. There is an app that includes the Archipelago: http://southeastasiapilot.com/e-book.htm. The South East Asia Pilot website at http://southeastasiapilot.com/myanmar.htm sets the scene for this 800 island, mainly uninhabited, and seldom cruised Archipelago. ‘Imagine mountainous, jungle covered islands that teem with wildlife, spectacular waterfalls that tumble directly onto white sandy beaches fringed by pristine coral reefs. Imagine no tourists and indigenous tribes with an exotic culture who live nomadic lives aboard their tiny boats.’

An Admiralty chart is available but was not considered as reliable as the data available on the ship’s plotter.

You have to enter the Mergui Archipelago through Kawthaung. There you pay a Government Tax of 8,500 Thai Baht. That provides you with the compulsory guide who costs you an additional 3,000 Baht per week. It 's up to you whether you actually take him or not, but you pay anyway. All our 12 yachts had guides. None of them had much English, but they were handy from time to time. Ours, for example, showed us a track through the jungle to a beach we 'd otherwise have missed. In short, as you have to pay for him, you might just as well have him providing you have a spare berth and are prepared to feed him.

You also have to pay a National Park entrance fee which is 380 USD per person for a boat with 8 people on board, less for fewer people, more for more. That price is reduced by 30 USD if you already have your tourist visa.

That fee takes you up to 11 degrees N. You pay a lot more to go further, and I understand permits are hard to come by.

You will need a photocopy of your passport to hand to the immigration people. Checking in at Kawthaung can be time consuming since it is an entry point for numerous backpackers. For the cruise in company, passports were handed to an agent and returned when they left the archipelago. They had to hand the photocopy to the officials at the airport when they flew out of Kawthaung. I don 't know what you do if you sail out of the area in your own boat.

They did an anti-clockwise circle Kawthaung, Barwell, Pulau Nala, Lampi, Clara, Great Swinton, Loughborough, the large unnamed island west of Kawthaung, and then back to Kawthaung. There were many other stops en route, mainly for lunch time snorkelling, but also a dinghy trip up a mangrove-lined creek and a visit to a sea gypsy village. A set of slides showing tracks, anchorages, recommended snorkelling places and photographs is attached.
[attachment=345]MerguiSlides.pdf[/attachment]


Here 's a sketch of the archipelago, and you 'll see that the area south of 11°N is less than a half of the whole thing. Nevertheless, there 's enough there to spend a couple of weeks cruising without going north of the line:

These notes have kindly been provided handwritten by a charter skipper. English was not his first language. His writing we not easy to read in places when typing the notes. EXERCISE CAUTION!

[attachment=340]MapMergui2.jpg[/attachment]

1. South Bay –Beautiful long and nice beach but navy and fisherman sometimes there.
2. Statan Island – 3 nice beaches and sandy bottom Good Anchorage.
3. Berwyl (Thay Ye’ Is) Night stop in channel. Sandy Bottom 7 or 8 metres.
4. Myuik Is – Nice beach and sandy bottom at South of the Island. Snorkelling on East side of Island.
5. Nice beach - Good Snorkelling. Some squid traps on land.
6. Nyaung oo Phee – North bay; nice beach and wind protected place. 1-9 meters depth available.
7. Myanmar Andaman Resort. Beautiful long beach and blue water. Good anchorage.
8. Nice sandy bottom beach. A family stay there together with animals and garden.
9. Beautiful stones and good snorkelling, Anchor but difficult to get close to the beach even with dinghy.
10 Bowei Island, Nice long beach, Good anchor 1-2 meters, Snorkelling
11. Quiet and nice beach. Good for bonfire. Can pass by channel to North depth 21 metres.
12. Good dive site. Long rock and hole. Can pass through to the other side under water.
13. Nga Mann Is. The best snorkelling sport. Hugh coral and fish school. Sea snakes.
14. 115 Is. 12 meters. Good anchorage. Nice water and beach. Can pass by a track to other North side beach in about 5 minutes.
15. Naung Wee village. Sea Gipsy village with school. Can go ashore by dinghy at high tide.
16. Poni Is. Nice 3 beaches. Second beach is perfect.
17. Lagoon in SE of island. Deep water around island 50 metres. Can go inside on the mid tide.
18. Great Swinton Island. Longest beach and good anchor 12m. Can see foot prints of animals.
19. The best dive spot in Myanmar. One can pass to the other side through the hole in the middle at 22m. Use torch light.
20. Small fishing village. Can get fresh water and lobster.
21. Good snorkelling.
22. Deep passage, 25m and 12m to anchor inside. Nice beach, quite, river in the West.
23. and 24. Twin Island. Dive site.
25. West coast of Clara island. Nice beach, blue water but be careful 10deg 52.54..’ 097deg52..’ 1.2meter rock.
26. Sea Gipsy village. Majohn Galat Village. Easiest beach is sandy for dinghy. Strong currents.
27. Anchor for night. Mangrove river; quiet place.
28. Bird watching spot. 7 meters in channel. Hornbill and flying foxes 6 to 7 pm
29. Long river. (named crocodile river) Bird watching, kingfishers, and huge mangrove trees inside.
30. Salat Galat Village. 21 meters deep in entrance. Anchorage before(?) small island. Cover around the Is. Go to the West in river in high tide. Quiet place.
31. Sandy Bottom and long beach. Fresh water streams in deep jungle.
32. Interesting place. High tide influence on water. Beach at low tide. Cave of oysters. Sea snakes sleeping between the rock and the hole. Anchor 17m depth.
33. In 52 point. Waterfall beach. Fresh water spring.
34. La Ngynn Village Go in at high tide. Green water. Clinic, school. Have to report to village head.
35. Nice place. Some Hat(?) people. Coconuts are beyond the beach.
36. Nice bay, Beach, quiet, But don’t go to the pearl farm to west (Army)
37. Very good for kayaking. Beach
38. Nice white sand beach.
39. Beach to anchor for the night.
40. Nice beach with footprints of wild boar and monkey. Fresh water.
41. No beach around big island but inside the channel. Go by dinghy. Small beach to the North. 150 meter high tower.
42. Tower rock.

These notes are attached so that they may be downloaded.
[attachment=339]MyanmarCruisingNotes.pdf[/attachment]