coral bleaching near Pattaya?

[camstar415]

Hello, I am a photographer looking to photograph examples of bleached coral. Does anyone know if I would see any snorkeling around the islands of Pattaya? One Thorn Tree (Lonely Planet) user suggested it might have been covered in algae and just be a pile of rubble now. Has anyone been down there recently? I am short on time and don't want to make the trek from BKK unless there is a pretty good chance of seeing some on a day trip.
Thanks!

 

[Quero]

Welcome to SB, camstar415! If you don't get the answers you need through the open forum, you might try PMing some of our members who visit Pattaya regularly. If that's the case, let me know and I'll make a short list for you. Somebody must have the answer you're looking for!

 

[limbo]

From my experience you won't find much bleaching in the general PTY area, let alone snorkeling along some beaches.

 

[Quero]

I was sure that I read that the Koh Sak sites had been hit hard, but I don't dive there, so it's all second- or even third-hand information, and therefore not worth much. Whether there was even any coral to bleach at snorkel sites after zillions of snorkelers and snuba participants had kicked the life out of the reef is another question altogether.

 

[limbo]

Mmm, I generally don't dive Koh Sak, so can't comment on this. You do have a point with the general condition of the coral at the snorkeling areas around PTY.

 

[Quero]

Nope, just what I've read since it's not a place I go, and therefore I'm not familiar enough with it at all to make a point. I really only know with confidence what I've observed in the Andaman, which is that the corals that were bleached are now, sadly, rubble fields covered in algae. I am aware that you've mentioned a rebound in coral growth where you are in the Gulf, and I can only hope that's the case at Koh Sak and other PTY islands that snorkelers frequent. Maybe if camstar goes there, he can document the state of the snorkeling reefs and give us a first-hand report!

 

[lord khram]

There is no snorkling at all on Pattaya / Jomtien Beaches, unless of course you are interested in plastic bags, bottles, used condoms etc. Lonely planet are exactly right, you have to go out to one of the islands. The 'near islands', mainly koh Larn are the most popular for tourist trips and there are any amount of operators going to a beach on the island numerous times every day from Bali Hai Pier. Neighbouring Koh Sak is not frequented by the hordes of daytripers from Pattaya to the same extent, but is indeed easily accesible by booking a days snorkling on a diveboat, trampling all over the reef on a seawalker trip, or even taking an underwater tour in a Yellow Submarine which bounces along the seabed adjacent to the reef on the West side of the island, or privately hire a speedboat with driver (who will conveniently drop anchor for you right in the middle of the coral), and go on your own. Which ever option you select you will see the same, as most of the coral around these islands is at the shalowest of depths. Some of the better operators who actually care if their customers have a good day will go out to the 'far islands', where conditions are generally a little better.
You should have no trouble finding damaged reefs that you wish to photograph, as most operators and their thousands of customers seem to have little or no regard for the marine life, broken, damaged and dead coral is unfortunately most common in the Pattaya area.

 

[camstar415]

There is no snorkling at all on Pattaya / Jomtien Beaches, unless of course you are interested in plastic bags, bottles, used condoms etc. Lonely planet are exactly right, you have to go out to one of the islands. The 'near islands', mainly koh Larn are the most popular for tourist trips and there are any amount of operators going to a beach on the island numerous times every day from Bali Hai Pier. Neighbouring Koh Sak is not frequented by the hordes of daytripers from Pattaya to the same extent, but is indeed easily accesible by booking a days snorkling on a diveboat, trampling all over the reef on a seawalker trip, or even taking an underwater tour in a Yellow Submarine which bounces along the seabed adjacent to the reef on the West side of the island, or privately hire a speedboat with driver (who will conveniently drop anchor for you right in the middle of the coral), and go on your own. Which ever option you select you will see the same, as most of the coral around these islands is at the shalowest of depths. Some of the better operators who actually care if their customers have a good day will go out to the 'far islands', where conditions are generally a little better.
You should have no trouble finding damaged reefs that you wish to photograph, as most operators and their thousands of customers seem to have little or no regard for the marine life, broken, damaged and dead coral is unfortunately most common in the Pattaya area.

I appreciate all the responses. And although it's sad to hear that so much of the coral is "damaged" by snorkelers and the like- not all snorkelers are careless! myself being one...I care very much about the environment. It's not that I want to see just any old "damaged"coral - but specifically that which was bleached due to the higher water temperatures as I am doing a larger project on landscapes that are being affected by changes in the climate. It seems that enough time has passed that I would not find examples of what the bleached coral looks like.

If anyone else has an idea of where I could see this - and not just snorkeling off the beaches of Pattaya - I would be willing to go out to a farther island, Please do chime in.

Thanks!

 

[Quero]

@camstar415, happily for us, there isn't much going on in terms of coral bleaching at present. You can check the NOAA Coral Bleaching project for colour-coded maps showing the "hotspots" both currently and historically. For a current "snapshot" look here:
Current Operational Coral Bleaching HotSpots - Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution

For July 2010, the map showed a much more severe problem:
http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/cb/hotspots/2010/hotspote.7.1.2010.gif

 

[AleG]

There was significant bleaching in Koh Tao a couple years ago. Well, in many, perhaps most, other divesites in Thailand too at the same time.
I think I took some photos of bleached corals and anemones, so if you can't find any current bleaching spot to take your own I'd happily give you a few for you to use in your project.