Myanmar, officially called the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (formerly called Burma) is a country in Southeast Asia with 800 islands, pristine reefs, rich marine life, fishing villages, and golden sandy beaches that will not leave any tourist indifferent. There are more than 100 ethnic groups. Myanmar is greatly influenced by Buddhism, and there are many temples and pagodas for travelers to visit. Tourists can enjoy exploring the Shwedagon, Chayttiyo, and Sule pagodas, as well as the Dhammayangyi Temple, Mandalay Palace, and many museums. The main tourist destination is Bagan, the capital of the first Myanmar Empire. At night, the water of the Indian Ocean glows like molten silver, due to the plankton that lives near the shore. Discover the variety and richness of the underwater world while diving in Burma. Beautiful and unspoiled dive sites in Burma provide great diving conditions in regions like the Mergui Archipelago (also called Myeik) and Burma Banks. The Mergui Archipelago is rich in untouched places. The dive spots are usually not crowded and offer divers a diversity of caves and rock formations to explore with a fantastic selection of fish to observe. Burma Banks is also a popular scuba diving region, where divers have the opportunity to check out groups of seamounts with plenty of marine species around. Scuba diving in Myanmar is for advanced divers. The depth of the dive spots range from 5-40m/16-131ft. Most of the dive sites are located far from each other, so liveaboard safari is the best choice. Some of the best sites include Black Rock, Shark Cave, Tower Rock, and the Burma Banks area. Shark Cave has 3 islets where divers can dive with schools of shrimp, anemones, and pipefish.