How Does This Affect the Diving Community?
The Similan National Park is located in the Andaman Sea, some 60 kilometers west of the Phang Nga Province coastline in southwest of Thailand.
The area comprises the nine islands of the Similans with Koh Bon and Koh Tachai as late additions to its now 140 square kilometers of National Park. Popular with daytrip visitors and famous in the diving community for its diverse marine life, the park serves as one of Thailand’s premier locations for water and beach lovers alike.
Koh Tachai – the most northerly of the park’s islands – famed for its incredible white sand beach, lush flora, and thriving corals has seen a exponential growth of day trip visitors over recent years. It is this growth that has forced the director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation for Thailand to take action in order to reduce the negative impact such tourism has on this idyllic place.
With nearly 30 million foreigner visitors during 2015, Thailand’s tourism industry accounts for around 10% of its GDP and government figures suggest that record will be broken this year. With so many people searching for their perfect getaway can Thailand’s natural resources above and below the water line sustain such bombardment?
In the case of Koh Tachai, Tunya Netithammakul, director of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plants Conservation, reports the answer to be a clear No.
“Thanks to its beauty, Koh Tachai has become a popular tourist site for both Thai and foreign tourists. This has resulted in overcrowding and the degradation of natural resources and the environment,”
"We have to close it to allow the rehabilitation of the environment both on the island and in the sea without being disturbed by tourism activities before the damage is beyond repair.”
The island will close for an “indefinite period” from 15 October 2016.
The impact on Diving in Thailand
To many of us in the diving community this announcement came as sad news indeed, as the vast majority upholds the belief that respecting and preserving the environments we explore is fundamental to our continued pleasure of the sport.
Having personally enjoyed a number of Liveaboard Dive Cruises to the Similan Islands and Koh Tachai with Oktavia Dive Center, a very responsible dive operator based in the quiet town of Khao Lak, I have first-hand experience of witnessing what the Similan National Park means to not only the diving guests on-board but also the whole crew and staff that work these waters.
It is their passion and respect for what they do and how they do it that makes for such a rewarding dive holiday and is proven by the number of return guests they have each year – me included!
Keen on another 5 day and 5 night dive cruise later this year I contacted Oktavia Dive Center to see if the closure of Koh Tachai had any significant impact on their coming season.
Thankfully the news is good and by all accounts MV Oktavia will be running her schedule with very little change. Dom Wharram, Operations Manager for Oktavia Dive Center replied back very promptly with the following:
…the closure of Koh Tachai does mean our afternoon beach trips to the islands will now be restricted to Koh Muang and Koh Similan. The good news is that with regard to the diving it is business as usual. We have been instructed that access to the beach is no longer available but the southern west pinnacles so popular with our diving guests are still open and access has been granted to our liveaboard vessel MV Oktavia. Whilst it is a shame that the beach is no longer open to us, we do, and always have respected the National Park’s decisions when it comes to the protection of these wonderful islands. We view this announcement as an opportunity to promote ourselves and the diving community in general as responsible and caring advocates for the environment. Our intent is to show that, although daily visitors arriving en-mass and over-crowding the beaches clearly does have an adverse effect on the islands, the liveaboard dive operators can manage their programs with minimal impact and influence on the waters and land that make up the National Park.
Reassuring words to all and relief to those who are planning or have already booked their diving holiday for next season. I will be returning and personally look for to seeing and taking photos of Koh Tachai with the absence of day trip speed boats cluttering the shoreline.