Underwater Photo Location: Black Rock, Mergui Archipelago

Black rock is a barren piece of rock about 80m long by 7m wide, isolated in the middle of the Mergui Archipelago about 60miles from the mainland. The site draws in some big fish like the Whale shark, Manta ray, Bull sharks, Jenkins ray's, Bloteched fantail ray's, as well as they usual Indian Ocean tropical reef fish. Black rock is also a great spot for macro and you can find Seahorses, Harlequin shrimp, Ornate Ghost pipefish, many types of Nudibranch, not found in neighbouring Thailand, the list goes on. On the East side you have a gentle sploing reef slope down to 30m and the sand. A little further from the reef you can find scattered boulder at depths 40-60+m and is often the playground for the sharks and ray's. On the west side you have a wall that descends down to 35m and then the rocks, boulders and sand slope off to 40-60+m.

For me this site is the Burma equivalent of Thailand's Richelieu rock. I have seen more big stuff here than all my years of diving at Richelieu rock. A place thats best dived between Jan-Apr.
Facts about Black Rock, Mergui Archipelago

• It is in Myanmar (Burma)
• Black Rock, Mergui Archipelago is in the Andaman Sea.
• The typical depth is 0-50 Metres 0-160 Feet.
• The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.