Liveaboard Diving in North Rocky
What To Expect On a North Rocky Liveaboard
Liveaboard diving to North Rocky offers a combination of wall dives, sloping boulders and coral reefs in one dive site here. Sailing just to the west of MacLeod Island and located about 60km from Kawtaung is a small limestone rock called North Rock, resembling the sail of a boat. Western Rocky is 10 kilometers to the west of Northern Rocky, with these sites being visited by numerous Myanmar liveaboards. Although surge and currents on occasions can be strong, this dive site offers always shelter on one side of the island. Entry from the liveaboard is normally on the exposed western side, close to the wall. The dives are from 5m to maximum depth of 35m in an orange color cast and visibility ranges from 20m and can drop to no more than 5m at times. When conditions are suitable this dive site is good for day and night dives during your North Rocky liveaboard. Much of the wall is covered by orange cup corals that open up in a spectacular display of color at night.
What You Can See at North Rocky
From your North Rocky liveaboard, when you enter the water on the exposed western side, close to the wall, you’ll immediately notice all the typical reef fish are present, including oriental and harlequin sweetlips, blue-ringed angelfish and parrotfish, also butterflyfish, leather jackets, and pufferfish, to name just a few. Pufferfish are active by day and asleep in their protective cocoon at night. Also at night, you can see decorator crabs, sponge crabs, and round crabs. In the shallow areas, nudibranchs are found all over the rocks as are bearded scorpionfish. Crabs, shrimps, and moray eels can be spotted all over the wall. Fimbriated, giant, and white-eyed moray eels are numerous at day and at night, often with cleaner shrimps close by. Gorgonian sea fans cling to rocks and feather stars cling to the gorgonians. It’s possible to see ornate ghost pipefish as well as sea horses. Magnificent anemones fight for space with long spiny sea urchins. Porcelain crabs can be seen on the edges of carpet anemones that are home to Clark's anemone fish. Purple soft coral and red finger coral add more splashes of color. Zigzag clams, barnacles, and encrusting sponges cover large areas of rock.
Gorgonian seafans are also numerous. Take a look from the wall to open water and enjoy the large schools of blue-lined snapper and schools of silversides. The area at the edge of the boulders, in the sand and rubble, at the bottom of the reef is home to bent-stick pipefish. They are often together in pairs and look, at first glance, just like the sea whips that they stay close to. Don’t miss out on stingrays, also to be found buried in the sand and double-ended pipefish. Take a good look under the rocky ledges, it's possible to see marble rays as well as nurse sharks taking a nap.
Getting To North Rocky
To get to North Rocky, Myanmar liveaboards depart from Phuket, Khao Lak, and Ranong in Thailand.
Direct flights are offered by Bangkok Airways, and fly to Ranong, on the Thai side of the Myanmar border. You can then take a taxi from Ranong Airport to the port of departure. Yangon International Airport is the main location for domestic flights. Local airlines include Air Bagan and Myanmar National Airlines. You can also easily book domestic flights via agencies once you are in Myanmar, and most travel agencies in Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan can arrange cars and drivers.
