Andaman Closures?

[Buadhai]

Here's a very quick and dirty rendition of the pertinent paragraph of the Thai Rath article that I linked to above. I'm not really very good at reading Thai, so please excuse the inevitable errors. The list doesn't differ much from the list in Phuket Wan.

The list shows park name, province (if stated) and areas closed.

1. Hat Jao Mai NP - Trang - Koh Cheuk
2. Mu Koh Phetra NP - Satun - Koh Bulon Mai Pai, Koh Bulon Rang Peung
3. Tarutao NP - Satun - Koh Tha Kiang, Koh Hing Ngam, Koh Rawi, Hat Sai Kao, Koh Dong
4. Mu Koh Chumpon NP - Chumpon - Koh Maprao
5. Hat Nopparat Thara NP - Koh Phi Phi, coral reefs around Hin Klang
6. Mu Koh Surin NP - Phang Nga - Ao Sutep, Ao Mai Ngam, Koh Ster, Hin Kong, Ao Pakkad and coral reefs in front of the park
7. Mu Koh Similan NP - Phang Nga - Ao Fai Waeb, East of Eden

Note that most of the areas are preceded by the phrase "บริเวณ", which means "area".

Here's the list in the original Thai:


1. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หาดเจ้าไหม จ.ตรัง บริเวณเกาะเชือก
2. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หมู่เกาะเภตรา จ.สตูล บริเวณเกาะบุโหลนไม้ไผ่ เกาะบุโหลนรังผึ้ง
3. อุทยานแห่งชาติ ตะรุเตา จ.สตูล บริเวณเกาะตะเกียง เกาะหินงาม เกาะราวี หาดทรายขาว เกาะดง
4. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หมู่เกาะชุมพร บริเวณเกาะมะพร้าว
5. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หาดนพรัตน์ธารา - หมู่เกาะพีพี บริเวณแนวปะการังบริเวณหินกลาง
6. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หมู่เกาะสุรินทร์ จ.พังงา บริเวณอ่าวสุเทพ อ่าวไม้งาม เกาะสตอร์ค หินกอง อ่าวผักกาด และแนวปะการังหน้าที่ทำการอุทยาน
7. อุทยานแห่งชาติ หมู่เกาะสิมิลัน จ.พังงา บริเวณอ่าวไฟแว๊ป และอีส ออฟ อีเด็น

 

[lord khram]

Whilst I am the first to complain about individuals and companies misusing and mistreating the environment. Please correct me if I am missing something. If these closures are intended to repair the bleaching that has ocured. How will closing divesites achieve this when the general consensus is that bleaching is caused by increasing water temperatures?

 

[Arizona]

The logic seems to give added help to coral already damaged. Nobody is equating the divers as to the cause, but an added measure to help a speedy recovery and or boost to coral in the damaged area is the prime motive IMO. There are diveboats and divers that do mistreat our oceans. We have all seen this sadly.

 

[robstrash]

We are headed to Thailand (from New York) for the first time on Sunday. We have booked a 4 day and a 6 day liveaboard with Moby Dick on the MV Nautica.

Planned sites (based on their website) are: Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Surin Islands (details below).

Based on the posts so far this is likely an overreaction, but we'd like to hear from those who dive there all the time. But it's an 18 hour flight and a trip that cost lots of $$, we have travel insurance and can cancel. Is the diving still worth it with these closures?

Thanks!


Sites they frequent include:
Similan: Boulder City, Baracuda Point, Fantasea Reef, Deep Six, Beacon Reef, Breakfast Bend, Christmas Point, East of Eden, Shark Fin Reef, Stonehenge, and Elephant Head.
Surin: Hin Rap and Koh Tornilla.
Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock
Racha Yai, Racha Noi, Phi Phi Island, Koh Rok, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Ko Ha, Koh Bida Nai, Koh Bida Nok, Hin Bida Nai and Hin Bida Nok

 

[Buadhai]

I understand your concern. If you look at the list of closed sites you'll see that almost none on your list are shown as closed.

Reread Quero's post:

The long and the short of it is that most of the sites are ones that dive boats don't visit, and for the couple that are traditonally part of the itinerary, boats have been avoiding these dive sites this season, so they have made the necessary adjustments already.

I understand that it's hard from halfway around the world to get a handle on how these little islands are affected by the closures, but rest assured that the issues are much more amplified in the press than they are on the water (even with the magnification factor that, as we divers know, water produces).

I've done many live aboard trips in the Andaman sea over the last 15 years. I have another planned for the end of March. I'm not about to cancel.

 

[Quero]

We are headed to Thailand (from New York) for the first time on Sunday. We have booked a 4 day and a 6 day liveaboard with Moby Dick on the MV Nautica.

Is the diving still worth it with these closures?

Sites they frequent include:
Similan: Boulder City, Baracuda Point, Fantasea Reef, Deep Six, Beacon Reef, Breakfast Bend, Christmas Point, East of Eden, Shark Fin Reef, Stonehenge, and Elephant Head.
Surin: Hin Rap and Koh Tornilla.
Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock
Racha Yai, Racha Noi, Phi Phi Island, Koh Rok, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Ko Ha, Koh Bida Nai, Koh Bida Nok, Hin Bida Nai and Hin Bida Nok

The best person to ask these questions of is your agent. S/He can phone Moby Dick and get specific updates in regard to any changes to the published itinerary. You may not be aware of it, but that list on Moby Dick's website is somewhat dated anyway. The dive site called Fantasea Reef has been closed to diving for years now, and of course Nautica's tour leader is free to make other adjustments as needed. "Needed" in this case includes choosing alternative sites to substitute for ones that have suffered extensive bleaching of staghorn forests.

For a better idea of what it looks like underwater, go over to the other thread and read AleG's post in which he has attached some photos. I'm confident that you'll have a very nice trip. Nautica is a good boat with a good crew.

 

[limbo]

Dive closures don't go far enough: conservationist

 

[robstrash]

The best person to ask these questions of is your agent. S/He can phone Moby Dick and get specific updates in regard to any changes to the published itinerary. You may not be aware of it, but that list on Moby Dick's website is somewhat dated anyway. The dive site called Fantasea Reef has been closed to diving for years now, and of course Nautica's tour leader is free to make other adjustments as needed. "Needed" in this case includes choosing alternative sites to substitute for ones that have suffered extensive bleaching of staghorn forests.

For a better idea of what it looks like underwater, go over to the other thread and read AleG's post in which he has attached some photos. I'm confident that you'll have a very nice trip. Nautica is a good boat with a good crew.

Thanks Quero and Buadhai. We are busy packing and someone sent us a link to a Yahoo article about all the dive sites being closed. We were somewhat shocked and immediately sent an email to Moby Dick but knew it was 6am there so came to look here for what people were saying. As you noted, we should still have some good dive sites so that is all we wanted to know. The names are all somewhat confusing to us so we decided to just post and ask. Thanks again and we hope to leave the snow here and be in the warm waters in a few days.

Rob

 

[Buadhai]

Dive closures don't go far enough: conservationist

Nowhere in the article is it explained how closing the sites will help the coral recover.

Plus the article contains even more confusing information about just what sites are closed. How could they have made mistakes as big as those described in the article:

... the directorgeneral of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Sunant Arunnopparat, said the department's announcement naming which diving sites would close contained mistakes.

In the Surin Islands in Phang Nga, the department mistakenly announced the closure of Suthep Bay, Mai Ngam Bay, Koh Stork, Hin Kong, Pakkard Bay and the coralreef site in front of Surin National Marine Park. Those sites will remain open, but Mae Yai Bay, Mang Korn Bay, Chak Bay, Tao Bay and Tor Rin La Bay will close.


In Satun province, the department will close only Bu Lone Mai Phai Island at Petra National Marine Park.

Mistakes or backpedaling?

 

[limbo]

Buadhai,

I was wondering exactly about the same questions that you pose, how in the world can you announce the names of sites being closed and than change them a day later? Seems like a bunch of complete amateurs at work with no clue.