Burma Banks Reef

The Burma Banks are a group of submerged offshore banks situated in the Andaman Sea, west of Myanmar's mainland and north of the Mergui Archipelago. They are a prominent feature of this remote Southeast Asian marine region.

The Burma Banks are unique because their summits rise from much deeper surrounding water but generally remain well below the surface. This creates exposed, open-ocean dive sites rather than typical shallow coastal reef environments.

Because of the deep water surrounding these submerged banks, the area is famous for encounters with large pelagics, particularly different species of sharks. Divers often visit specifically to observe nurse sharks and silvertip sharks in the open water.

Divers access the Burma Banks via liveaboard dive boats operating out of Thailand or Myanmar, typically requiring multiple days at sea. The remote location means divers usually experience untouched coral formations away from crowded day-trip sites.