Richard S. Simmons:
I will be coming to the Phuket area of Thailand over Easter and would like to help with volunteer work cleaning up the coral reefs. Can anyone suggest an organisation or dive shop, etc. which needs help with this?
Richard
I've pasted in an announcement from PhuketRichard, a member of a different board. Hope it gives you a starting place.
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VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST AT THE PHI PHI ISLAND TSUNAMI RECOVERY DIVE CAMP NEEDED!!
Andrew Hewett, the owner of Adventure Club in Tonsai Bay on Phi Phi Island, is in charge of the project called "Phi Phi Tsunami Dive Camp", which is funded by donations from private people from all over the world as well as PADI Project Aware. The objective is to clean the beaches and reefs which have been littered with everything you can imagine from boats to bungalows . Andrew has now built his own air lift to remove sand covering objects to be able to surface them. There is assistance from local dive operators and boatmen but it's a huge project and more hands are needed.
Andrew has been on Phi Phi since the 18th of Feb, when the project started. In the beginning there was a lot of help from volunteer divers, international and Thai, but they have slowly dropped off and at the moment there is a lack of volunteers. On the island they need snorkellers and divers, with minimum 100+ dives experience, to help out. There is a need for two snorkellers to a diver. Without snorkellers it's an impossible task.
There is free accommodation for volunteers on Phi Phi and Andrew wants to be able to cover for volunteer food as well and is working on that. There are facilities like restaurants, bars (Carlitos) etc open on the island. Ferries run from, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Lanta daily.
Please help to spread the word and raise the awareness that the post tsunami recovery work has just started!
We local dive centers in Phuket are updated almost daily as to conditions and help that is needed in the tsunami effected provinces. The Thai government has refused international relief funds but their own efforts are slow too almost non- existent. It will only be the help of compassionate and concerned people like you who will make the difference in restoring the lives and families of the local people who are in desperate need.
If you are unsure as to the current situation in the tsunami effected provinces you can use this helpful link to the daily updated local on-line newspaper at
http://www.phuketgazette.net Start with the tsunami links on the left side of the homepage.
For more information please contact:
Email:
andrew@hidef.com,
Andrew on Phi Phi - Mobile no: 01 89 51 334,
Thomas in Phuket - Mobile no: 01 273 40 81.
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