As Myanmar has a long coastline of over 2,200 kilometres, there are a lot of well-known and potential dive sites for scuba divers. We can divide these places into three main regions: Rakhine State, the Irrawaddy Division, and the Mergui Archipelago, Tanin

• Located in the northern part of the Kawthaung region, Black Rock takes at least eight hours or even an entire day, depending on the speed of your boat, to get to. Its remoteness means there are very few fishing boats, and as a consequence, the region is largely unspoiled. The moderate current provides a good cleaning station for manta rays and whale sharks, and the visibility is as much as 20 to 30 metres, depending on the tide. Your best chance of seeing the big sharks and rays is from February to April. This is where I encountered my first manta ray!

• On your way back to Kawthaung from Black Rock, pop over to North Twin Pinnacle, near North Twin Island. This is a pinnacle dive with great visibility of up to 30 metres. Manta rays and whale sharks are also abundant: I had my first whale shark encounter here, alongside three mantas at the same time! It was magical. I strongly recommend spending a whole day here and doing at least three or four dives.

Mergui

• As the name suggests, Fan Forest Pinnacle, near Western Rocky, offers amazing underwater scenery covered with large sea fans. Viz is usually decent, but depending on the tide, strong currents may reduce visibility a little. Expect to see more whale sharks here. Last year, I had the opportunity to encounter two whale sharks on the same dive.

• Near Fan Forest is Western Rocky, one of the best dive sites in the archipelago. There are two main spots here: Western Rocky itself and Western Rocky Islet. There is a long underwater tunnel inside Western Rocky where you can spot lobsters, turtles, and frogfish. The Western Rocky Islet is a whale shark hangout, so make sure to keep an eye out on the deeper side of the dive site while you are having fun.

• Lastly, Seahorse City is especially popular for snorkelling, but the name comes from the delicate creatures found by divers: seahorses. If you are lucky, you might also find some reef sharks and turtles here.

This list is just a tiny fraction of the hundreds of dive sites that have already been named in the Mergui Archipelago, and the country has countless dive sites yet to be discovered, most of which are still pristine and untouched. So what are you waiting for? Check your schedule. Pack your gear. Myanmar is waiting for you!