Viz report - Thailand....post Tsunami

[fishchaser]

I have a trip booked to the Similans on Jan 7th. The day after the tsunami, the dive operator said "All OK here. Your trip will not be affected." I haven't heard anything to the contrary since...just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for good vis.

 

[thien]

I went to Phi Phi to assist in search & Recovery and reef check yesterday. Here is my quick assessment:

Koh Bida Nok (1:30pm)
Visibility: 10-15 meters (very normal for December)
water temp: 28 C
current: mild
Marine life: Normal! There were no sign of damges from the Tsunami. School of yellow lined snappers, fusiliers, angel fish, leaopard sharks, black tip reef sharks were sighted. Coral showed no sign of tsunami damges. Some trash floating at the surface, none underwater as we were prepare for clean, and all came up empty bag.

Tonsai Bay (4:20pm)
Visibility: 1-3 meter
Water Temp: 28 c
current: None
Marine life: heavily damaged corals, silts, and lots building swept into the bay from the Tsunami. This site was used normally for confined water training, snorkeling and discover scuba diving before the tsunami. We recovered luggages, suitcases, backpacks, ID tags, and sadly bodies during the last few days here.
Do not agree to go to Tonsai if your boat operator decide to go for a look. It is out of respect of the unfortunates and the safety of the recovery team. This task will take much longer than just days to locate and clean up.

The Similans is open for diving. however, there are some damages to the westcoast dive sites, thus limited to the east coast only. There were no affect for Richelieu Rock. So, do not cancel your diving trip just because of the media, we are doing our best to return our people back to life as normal here. Please support us just by showing up! That's it.

Paradise, it's what you make of it!

 

[ssra30]

That's a relief. As things stand, I plan to go down to Phuket Jan 18 and dive with the Panunee and see what its like down there.
I am glad to hear that things are back to normal, at least around Phuket area anyhow.
As a lot of previous posts have stated, infrastructure in Phuket seemed to be ok and many tourists have elected to stay on in Phuket anyhow.
I think a decision to come to Phuket or not does not depends just on whether it is possible to stay in the area but also other factors. Many of my friends have decided to cancel their trips to come to Thailand all together mainly because the disaster has dampened their enthusiasm quite a bit and they do not wish to visit a place that just recently went through such a tragic event.
On the other hand I also would like to see everything go back to normal as soon as possible.
Thailand is not on the fault line directly so aftershock right in Thailand is going to be incredibly rare but I suppose the risk of anything else happen is not exactly zero.

As far as the Similans go, on television last night, they did report that all 12 National Parks in the 6 provinces are closed for the duration (both land and marine park) whatever that means. The one on land you cannot enter. In the past when the marine park is closed (as in during the monsoon season), you are not allowed to dive there, the TV report did not clarify if you are not allow to dive there or not, may be they mean to close it down completely but do not have the resource to reenforce it yet or may be it is as other says, only that people are not allow to get on the islands, hopefully it will become clearer in the next few days.

 

[Batfish]

First chance I have had to look in the board for 5 days. Things have been rather hectic to say the least. So many emails and phone calls, no time for surfing the web.

We are in Karon beach. The Karon/Kata area of Phuket has suffered very little damage. Personally I have been through a range of emotion the last few days. On Christmas day I was at Kamala beach with my wife (heavily pregnant) and 3 year old daughter along with some friends and their kids. So many times I have thought "what if"...

Around here we are in a twighlight zone. We are fine, unaffected, while not far away and in other countries, people have suffered so much. I really only felt the shock on about the 27th in the night and was physically sick that night.

In Phuket, daily life is as normal in the streets. In Karon, Kata, Naiharn beaches for example, there was some initial impact but now people are on the beaches and 95% of business is open. Phuket has no problem with water supply, clean water, electricity. This is a modern and developed place. Clean up has been very fast as all businesses will want to get nack to normal asap. We have some news and photos on our web site at www.sunrise-divers.com/news.htm

We can be accused of being uncaring by continuing to run dive trips. Some liveaboards did not even break stride. They were out during the 26th, came back maybe on the 28th and went out next day, mostly full. Getting some people who want to cancel in the next couple of weeks and will try to reschedule them, but mostly, especially if they are already in Thailand, people are confirming trips. I just had a call from a couple in Koh Lanta to confirm for the 8th Jan, and a couple came in to the office to confirm a trip for the 2nd.

The cancellations tend to be from people who are still at home and are seeing the images on TV from all over Asia. Once you are here you can see the real picture.

Similan Islands are "open". Dive boats are out there now, everyone is trying to run liveaboards as normal. The early reports from the dive sites suggest good news. Maybe a couple of sites slightly damaged, or it could be that they are just covered in sand that was dragged along with the wave. Most dive sites are almost totally undamaged from what we're hearing from boats there right now. I was diving in Honduras just after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and reefs there got a lot of sand dumped on them, but were washed clean very fast.

Basically, all looks good for diving, so anyone who has already booked a liveaboard, no need to cancel. In the midst of so much sorrow, somehow we are here and trying to dive as normal. Hope to see some of you here soon.

I will not be celebrating this new year. Just saying some prayers for those who have been lost, and prayers for my family who are still with me.

 

[Abopp]

"but I won't bother changing my arrangements if underwater Thailand, and in particular, Phi Phi/Hin Daeng is still ok/worth going to...."

Suggest you do a bit of research before getting on a plane to the Andaman see area of Thailand any time soon. We we dived in Phi Phi last year and from the shots i have seen the entire village - including all of the dive operations - is pretty much gone. We're trying to find out if our instructor survived.

Andamans are completly wiped out by the Tsunami as well.... Fantastic islands and beautiful, pristine diving as well - I was there in March this year (assuming that you're not in 2005 already!)

 

[Abopp]

Thanks guys - you've all been really helpful and have made me think that, actually, cancelling would not be a good thing to do, both from the point of view of Thailand (and wanting to get things back to normal) and a personal point of view (I really don't want to cancel if I don't have to!)

ssra - looks like I'll be meeting you on the Panunee - 18th to Hin Daeng is the trip that I'm going on as well (I have PM'ed you)

Thanks everyone for your reports - I needed a bit of reassurance from people who are actually there. All I have is what's on tv....and I guess the newsworthy story is devastation, rather than "actually, things are ok, although there are pockets of difficulty".

Hope that the new year brings some happier times....

 

[JustAddWater]

Daily life is back to normal in Phuket? That is contrary to the news reports being aired. I was surprised by a report this morning, of the audacity of some tourists in Phuket who are complaining about service they are receiving.
I was in Phuket 12 years ago to this day...beautiful place and people. I hope for a speedy return to normalcy.

 

[fishchaser]

Daily life is back to normal in Phuket? That is contrary to the news reports being aired.

From the Phuket Gazette, 12/31:
Some anger is being felt in Patong about the depiction of the town by the media. A member of a Marine Security unit sent by the US Embassy in Bangkok to help with the clean-up, echoed those feelings when he said he was not happy with media, especially TV, for showing only pictures of the damage.

“Many people have been helping to clean up Patong since the first day and many employees are back at work, but the television stations still show pictures of the damage. In fact, everything looks much better now. In Patong only the [beach] road and some hotels were damaged, but the beach looks so beautiful now.

“Why don’t they update their pictures?” he asked.

 

[Batfish]

From the Phuket Gazette, 12/31:

“Many people have been helping to clean up Patong since the first day and many employees are back at work, but the television stations still show pictures of the damage. In fact, everything looks much better now. In Patong only the [beach] road and some hotels were damaged, but the beach looks so beautiful now.

“Why don’t they update their pictures?” he asked

Exactly. The news is still trying to find destruction, which is more news than a cleaned up beach. I say again - daily life is back to normal.

Up to date photos :

www.phuket-photos.com/frameme.php?page=phuket-tidal-wave.htm

 

[baltimoron]

me personally, I would keep the reservations. I think this would really help, since we need to show Phuket that we are not afraid, and you all can serve as the example to the world that all is progressing and people can return. I am predicting a sharp spike in tourism to the area, and that is good for nobody. We need to keep supporting the area. I don't think it's too much of an offence as long as you stay out of the way of the search efforts. They way I see it, the area needs the bussiness...

Just putting in my nickelworth.