Brand new dive site damaged by fishing trawler

[CHDiver]

I still dive in the Pattaya area on a regular basis and have done for many years. And unless my eyes are deceiving me or a new species of chicken that lives underwater and sheds scores of wing bones on a daily basis has evolved, this practice is still prevalant on pattaya dive boats.
Or maybe they just fall out of the sky???

You wrote Mermaids is doing it on there boats, witch isnt true anymore.

There are other Dive Boats out there.........but I think you know that.

 

[lord khram]

You wrote Mermaids is doing it on there boats, witch isnt true anymore.

There are other Dive Boats out there.........but I think you know that.

Yes, I am fully aware of all the dive boats going out of Pattaya. At some point over the years I have dived from most of them, and must say that standards are quite consistent between them all.
However the chicken bones are probably more noticeable from the Mermaids boats as these generally carry more passengers than the others.
And indeed not only divers eat chicken, but that was not my original point.
The point I was trying to make was about divers complaining about other users of the ocean damaging an artificial reef, whilst at the same time divers themselves are littering the seabed with food waste. Double standards I think it is called?
Maybe in the original complaint about a fishing boat, had the poster considered, how many years had this fisherman been using this part of the sea to earn his living? All of a sudden someone sinks aeroplanes there for the financial gain of dive shops, 'or for the good of the environment'? Make your own minds up on that one. And now he is expected not to fish there any more?
From reports on here these aeroplanes will soon be broken up anyway, leaving a nondescript array of scrap aluminium on the seabed no doubt. If a factory producing aluminium Goods were to dump their scrap at sea we would all be quick to complain about the litter.
Maybe the instigators of this project should examine their actions and their motives. Before we complain about others.

 

[Bowmouth]

=lord khram;4433363 All of a sudden someone sinks aeroplanes there for the financial gain of dive shops, 'or for the good of the environment'? Make your own minds up on that one. And now he is expected not to fish there any more?

Maybe the instigators of this project should examine their actions and their motives. Before we complain about others.

LK, there was nothing "sudden" about sinking those planes. Also, the planes are located within the 3NM no commercial fishing zone and large commercial fishing boats and bottom trawlers are not allowed to fish in this area.
I have pasted (part of) an article for your benefit below my message. Feel free to contact the "instigators" as you call them of this project (they are in bold script) and complain to them.

:admingreet:




The operation was made possible through the joint cooperation of such concerned agencies as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Navy, For Sea Foundation, Phuket Province, and the Thailand Diving Association among others.

According to Mr. Settapan Buddhani, TAT Phuket Office Director, the project has been planned since as early as two years ago and it took the cooperation from all parties involved to realize it. The new artificial coral reef and diving site are expected to draw a sea of divers to Phuket to try it, on top of other benefits it will generate, both ecologically and economically.

The new diving site is located off Bang Tao Bay, Phuket Talang district. The 16-18 meters deep area where the fleet was sunk has a sand bed, and is one kilometre away from the natural coral reef and the Bang Tao Beach.

The fleet of sunken old and unused aircraft consists of four Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrains and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters. They once belonged to the Royal Thai Air Force and used to be housed at an air base in Lopburi Province. The For Sea Foundation initiated the project to create an artificial coral reef following operations to fix natural coral reefs that were damaged by the devastating Tsunami that hit Asia in late December 2004.

Aware that natural reefs can be destroyed by humans apart from exposure to natural catastrophes, the Foundation volunteers came up with the idea of creating an artificial reef to form an interesting diving site as an option for divers, in order to allow diving sites such as those in the Surin Islands, Similan Islands, Tarutao Island and other areas along the Andaman Sea to remain untouched by humans.

To lure visitors to a new diving site, the artificial reefs need some sort of ÁÔtar power? like the King Cruiser wreck diving spot in Phuket, for instance. The idea of having a fleet of old and unused aircraft under the sea is equally irresistible, said Mr. Settapan.

The sunken aircraft had been used heavily during World War I and the Vietnam War. This, in a way, lends the diving site a great sense of historical value, apart from physical attractiveness.

It took two years for the agencies concerned to complete the feasibility study on the environmental effects of the project and determining the best location to sink the fleet. It was found that the aluminum body of each craft is non-corrosive, while their shapes do not obstruct water currents. Most importantly, it was found that they do not pose any harm to the ecological system.

The diving spot is expected to help boost Phuket strategic position as a world-class marine tourism centre with this new fascinating dive site. As corals will form a new reef along each craft, marine fauna will have a new habitat and the ecological system in the area will eventually rehabilitate itself.

The sinking operation was done on 29 November, 2008, making history as a first in the world with 10 aircraft. Ms. Cathleeya McIntosh, one of Thailand best known actresses and an experienced diver herself, was also selected as the project Goodwill Ambassador to help spread the news about it.

International PR Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
1600 Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Rajatevee
Bangkok 10400
Thailand
Tel: 66 (0) 2250 5500 ext.4545-4548
Fax: 66 (0) 2253 7419
Email: prdiv3@tat.or.th

 

[stevenl]

The sunken aircraft had been used heavily during World War I and the Vietnam War. This, in a way, lends the diving site a great sense of historical value, apart from physical attractiveness.

If that were the case, WWI would not have lasted as long as it did.

 

[lord khram]

In reply to bowmouths last post, again I must point out a number of inconsistencies in your information.
firstly i must say that if this is in a marine park then the fishing incident as you have previously described was inexcusible. For once we agree. However.
History is not a strong point of mine but I dont recall there being too many aluminium aircraft and helicopters used in the first world war?
Who ever took two years to research a project such as this to find that aluminium is not corosive is clearly deluded, incompetent or a combination of both.
As I have stated before, when you were talking nonsence about dive cylinders exploding! I have run a NDT testing business for a number of years and am quite conversant about the science involved with metals.
I can assure you aluminium does corrode, and indeed, under many circumstances, the residue from oxidising aluminium, (and many other metals) can be toxic.
As stated by someone else on this thread, the location is one that is open to strong tidal movements and quite soon the aeroplanes would have broken up anyway.
You can quote who ever was involved. It wouldn't be the first time a government body or a scientist got it wrong!

 

[Bowmouth]

You can quote who ever was involved. It wouldn't be the first time a government body or a scientist got it wrong!

The operation was made possible through the joint cooperation of such concerned agencies as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Navy, For Sea Foundation, Phuket Province, and the Thailand Diving Association (TDA) among others.

 

[lord khram]

The operation was made possible through the joint cooperation of such concerned agencies as the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Navy, For Sea Foundation, Phuket Province, and the Thailand Diving Association (TDA) among others.

Like I said before, dont care what their title is.

looks like they got it wrong this time.

 

[Marcel van den Berg]

When will this change... we alway's have a patrol baot here for fishing, problem is that it is usually doing nothing

 

[Bowmouth]

... we always have a patrol boat here for fishing, problem is that it is usually doing nothing

If the patrol boat is always fishing you should be happy it's doing nothing!!!