Viz report - Thailand....post Tsunami

[fishchaser]

I'll be leaving for Singapore tomorrow, then for Phuket on the 5th. Will spend a few days on LOB and a few days on Phuket, before returning to Singapore on the 10th. I will try to post a non-biased (not a local, not a dive operator, not a sensationalist journalist, etc.) opinion then, when I get some internet access on either the 10th or 11th.

 

[ssra30]

Hi ssra30,

I guess we'll not know for sure what's the status of Similans' reefs till an "eye witness" from SB will return and inform us all.
Meanwhile I'm trying to get any piece of info that I can find on the net.
I found an article on www.timesonline.co.uk, saying that "Christmas Point and Deep Six are very badly damaged".

I hope the damage is less than expected to be after a tsunami as strong as it was.
The full article is on:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18690-1421195,00.html

This is the SMS I got from my friend who forwarded it to me from Aqua One said that
Hin Muan Diew at Island #5, Chinese Wreck #4, Andaman reef at #6, Garden Eel at #5 were all OK.
I heard one of the underwater pinnacle ? Elephant Ear Pinnacle is completely gone!
I will be down there in a couple of weeks but plan to go south to Hin Dang Hin Muang area instead of north to the Similans. I certainly would like to hear more about other sites as well. For now, just lots of 2nd hand information.
I suppose to be on liveaboard trip to Burma in February and there are very little news coming out of the country so I really wonder what happened over there.

 

[Batfish]

This is the SMS I got from my friend who forwarded it to me from Aqua One said that
Hin Muan Diew at Island #5, Chinese Wreck #4, Andaman reef at #6, Garden Eel at #5 were all OK.
I heard one of the underwater pinnacle ? Elephant Ear Pinnacle is completely gone!
QUOTE]
This sounds just like I have heard back from other boats. Mostly undamaged. If Christmas Point or Elephant HEAD are damaged, well, there's not much to damage. These sites are essentially piles of boulders, which is partly what Similan is famous for - huge granite rocks underwater. If these rocks have been rearranged GREAT! New dive sites to explore! More important would be how are the reefs on the Eastern side? Well, we have customers out now and several boats such as Rhapsody, The Junk, Colona VI, Queen Scuba are out right now. What we hear so far is very good. I'm sure we'll all get more info later.

 

[escapedia]

BTW, speaking of a liveaboard to the Similans& Surin:
Would you consider the begining of April as a better time to sight whale sharks in those arears rather than other months within the high season?

 

[hongkia]

Hi All,

I too have made a booking (in Nov 2004) for a Similans liveaboard from 16th Jan till 20th Jan. After that, I will be putting up in a hotel (in Kata, Phuket) till 23rd Jan. My dive operator has sincerely assured me that things are returning to normal.

As this is my 1st trip to both islands, I would not be able to tell what changes have occured. But I will try to give an account once back in S'pore.

 

[thien]

BTW, speaking of a liveaboard to the Similans& Surin:
Would you consider the begining of April as a better time to sight whale sharks in those arears rather than other months within the high season?

Yes! The chance of whale shark sighting is much higher in April and May in the Similans & Surin area. However, in the local daytrip dive sites (Shark Point, Bida Nok & Nai, Ko Doc Mai), encounter with them also increase during the months of May - July.

 

[travelem]

Someone posted a CBS link for diving video before and after the hit:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/video...005/01/03/video664533.wmv&sec=3420&vidId=3420

 

[escapedia]

Someone posted a CBS link for diving video before and after the hit:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/video...005/01/03/video664533.wmv&sec=3420&vidId=3420

Very sad to see that.
I just hope that this kind of TV report focus on one or two sites/reefs for the sake of making headlines...
I hope the massive destruction of the reef, vividly shown in this report, doesn't reflect the destiny of the entire Similans' reefs, the reporter himself is saying: "vast regions of the underwater world remains intact"

 

[Batfish]

Very sad to see that.
I just hope that this kind of TV report focus on one or two sites/reefs for the sake of making headlines...
I hope the massive destruction of the reef, vividly shown in this report, doesn't reflect the destiny of the entire Similans' reefs, the reporter himself is saying: "vast regions of the underwater world remains intact"

The CBS News Report is a travesty. They distorted everything

We had a rather angry email explaining about this from Jeroen, owner of the Ocean Rover, who was kind enough to allow CBS on his boat to film. For more information you can see the Ocean Rover Web Site : www.ocean-rover.com/latest-news/tsunamiupdates.htm

Right now, having survived a tsunami, more damage is being done to Thailand by the media who are still looking for disaster stories, when the people wish to get on with life.

Happy Diving!

 

[escapedia]

Sunrise, thank you (and the ocean-rover team) for clarifying that.
Had I been an average American diver, without any doubt, I would have cancelled my trip to Thailand.
Since I know the way media works, especially the tabloid kind, one should be quite skeptical of what one sees or hears on the media.
The media wants "blood", and they use all tools available in their hands to show it to their audience.
Shame, isn't it?