The Burma Banks
Lying some 165 kilometers northwest of
Mu Koh Similan, the Burma Banks are a collection of elevated shelves sitting in depths exceeding 300 meters. The Burma Banks fall within the Burmese Special Economic Zone and since 1995/6 dive boats traveling here have had to obtain permission from the Burmese authorities.
At present, only four of the banks (Silvertip Bank, Rainbow Reef Bank, Roe Bank and Big Bank) are regularly dived but, with the possibility that other banks could yet be discovered, there is the potential for diving truly virgin reefs. Dive operators from Koh Phuket first came here during the '91s season, and live-aboards usually include the Burma Banks as part of excursions which also include diving on the reefs of the Mergui Archipelago, most of which also lies within Burmese waters.
The tops oif the Burma Banks rise to within 15 to 24 meters of the surface, with fairly high proportion of coral cover: an interesting phenomenon on these reefs is the unusual largeness of plate and table corals – which can sometimes be 5 meters or more in diameter. This comes about because the corals grow horizontally to maximize the sunlight reaching their symbiotic zooxanthellae. The strong, abrasive currents flowing over the Burma Bank means that oceanic visitors are common, with almost everything from Silvertips to Whale Sharks likely to cruise by.
Only the bigger, faster
live-aboards can comfortably make the journey to these remote oceanic sites, and they usually travel overnight after leaving the
Surins to maximize diving time. With no coastline or islands in sight, the Burma Banks have to be located by GPS. When you're not underwater, entertainment is limited to videos, books and star-gazing; this might be a good opportunity to gain a speciality certification.
Boats generally stop at the Burma Banks for one or two days, depending on weather conditions. The Burma Banks are usually dived between November and mid-May.
|
