Just my opinion...

[Vie]

Yesterday (27 March 2005) afternoon, I was diving at Ko Rin (Yucradong), near Pattaya, from the boat Sea Dream. Anchored next to us was the boat Ihtiander, and someone (yes, YOU with the bungied primary on a 30-inch hose…BTW, it’s the backup, on 22-inch hose, that’s supposed to go around your neck) from that boat was spear-fishing whilst scuba diving.

While I’m not advocating a worldwide ban on spearfishing or anything like that, I thought that spearfishing at Ko Rin was a particularly stupid thing to do. The Royal Thai Navy has only recently stopped using the area around Ko Rin as a target range and the coral reef/sea life needs time to recover. To quote from Thailand’s Coral Reefs, Nature under Threat (1995), by Collin Piprell and Ashley J. Boyd, “there is very little sport in hunting reef fish with scuba gear and spear-guns—it really is shooting fish in a barrel. At least until most of the bigger fish are gone, that is; and until the larger fish which remain learn to shy away from human intruders (including divers who are just looking). Spear-fishing often results in coral damage, moreover, when hunters miss their shots.” Well, guess what, the corals around Ko Rin are already damaged and the big fish are long gone.

Let me emphasize once more that I am not against spear-fishing per se, but am outraged at the use of scuba (IMHO spear-fishing should only be undertaken whilst skin-diving) and the location where the hunting took place.

 

[YCW]

WOW!

...the location where the hunting took place.

 

[whitehead]

Someone here on SB? I can account for all the damnamers as being in Sattaheap or on land at the weekend - go on tell us who it was.

 

[Vie]

Someone here on SB? I can account for all the damnamers as being in Sattaheap or on land at the weekend - go on tell us who it was.

I don’t think it was a member of SB—I didn’t get a very good look at him but he was the only non-Caucasian diver on the Ithiander that day. Perhaps a Thai/Thailand-based SB member might know who it was?

BTW, Mr. Whitehead, I very much admire the many photographs you have posted on the Damnam Sub Aqua Club website over the years.

 

[MoonWrasse]

Wow, there are still fish around Pattaya? I thought so much effluent had been dumped there that it was dead.

 

[Vie]

Wow, there are still fish around Pattaya? I thought so much effluent had been dumped there that it was dead.

The diving can be surprisingly good, even around the “nearer islands” such as Ko Laan (Vac/Aow Nuan and under the pier) and Ko Saak. Last year, we saw a couple of bearded filefish Anacanthus barbatus at Ko Saak—I’ve never seen them anywhere else in Thailand.

 

[MoonWrasse]

Interesting, maybe I'll put it on my future itinerary thru BKK. It shouldn't be too difficult to dive there even if staying in BKK.

 

[ssra30]

Spear-fishing often results in coral damage, moreover, when hunters miss their shots.” Well, guess what, the corals around Ko Rin are already damaged and the big fish are long gone.

Not to mention the possibility of live shells that might still be around after all the navy's target practice. There was already an incident last year when someone accidentally picked up a live ammunition while collecting shellfish there. At the very least, the guy lost an arm, did not hear what else happened to him or if he even survived.

For me, Koh Rin is definitely a look and don't touch only site.

At least I am glad the Navy stopped using Koh Rin as a target practice as it is my favourite divesite in Pattaya.

 

[whitehead]

Vie - cheers and thanks for the help with nudibranch also! Here are some Pattaya examples, if it will work...

 

[smokey braden]

are there DIR proceedures for spear-fishing??