Wolfgang's photos

The southernmost point of Burma and our port to check in for the diving tour. We've to stay on board while Burmese authorities check our documents and deal with the (grey) visa. 300 $ US each visa, only new bills accepted. A liaison officer came on board to observe our boat course to the Mergui island range.

Kaw Thaung is included in Tanintharyi Division in the southernmost part of the Union of Myanmar.At the mouth of Parchan river there is Kawthaung Cape (formerly Victoria Point) which is in the southern most part of Myanmar.

Too warm water bleach the corals. A big problem at many places in the Andaman Sea.

Fusilier fishes are related to the snappers, but adapted for feeding on plankton, rather than on larger prey.

Lionfish are known for their venomous fin rays, a feature that is uncommon among marine fish in the East Coast coral reefs. Stings from Lionfish are quite painful. The potency of their venom makes them excellent predators and dangerous to fishermen and divers. But the fish never is aggressive and never attacks, divers just have to take care to do not touch the fins, even not by mistake.

About 100 species of snappers are currently recognized, divided into about 16 genera. A large number of species have "snapper" in their common name.

Diving close to the rocks, a lot of opportunities to discover microorganism.

A pinnacle always is a rock island without any palms or trees. Ideal diving conditions are guaranteed.

Poor visibility near the cave entrance but a lot of plankton means the presence of many big fish.

The name "urchin" is an old name for the round spiny hedgehogs that sea urchins resemble. We've to care not to come to close, some are shooting with their spines.

The Alcyonacea, or the soft corals are an order of corals which do not produce calcium carbonate skeletons. Soft corals contain minute, spiny skeletal elements called sclerites, useful in species identification. This colors give the underwater world an amazing vista.

In certain reefs, most notably in the Andaman Sea, this beautifully colored fish is commonly spotted among divers

Anemones tend to stay in the same spot until conditions become unsuitable (prolonged dryness, for example), or a predator attacks them. In that case anemones can release themselves from the substrate and use flexing motions to swim to a new location. Most sea anemones attach temporarily to submerged objects; a few thrust themselves into the sand or live in burrows; a few are parasitic on other marine organisms and some have symbiotic relationships with hermit crabs.

Absolute harmless to humans, the leopard shark is caught by commercial and recreational fisheries for food and the aquarium trade. I saw plenty of this fish in Thai waters, particular Similan area. The leopard shark is most commonly found in sandy or muddy bays and estuaries either at or near the bottom.

Diving in groups is necessary, never dive alone. For cases in getting problems the dive partner(s) should stay close all the dive at every time.