Scuba With Bill

Ran across an excellent recap of the post-tsunami diving conditions in the Thailand area in PADI’s Sprt Diver Magazine. From the sound of the article things do appear to be improving:

The local tsunami dive camps’ effort to systematically clean any and all damaged reefs and sea bottoms around the Phi Phi islands has made noticeable differences, which is encouraging for all involved. Andrew Hewett, general manager of the Adventure Club on Koh Phi Phi, says that he has been overwhelmed by the efforts made by people who have travelled across the world not only to assist on the dive project, but also to help the local people and victims of the tsunami. “It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with these people, who are devoting all of their time and energy. Their efforts are totally selfless and they wish nothing in return, just to know that they have made a difference. My hat goes off to them.”

Underwater Times is reporting that a recent dispute that DAN has had with a network of hyperbaric chambers has turned nasty again. The following chambers have said that they will not accept DAN insurance and divers will be charged out of pocket:

The Bahamas, Baja California, Belize, Cancun (Mexico), Cozumel (Mexico), Galapagos, Phuket (Thailand), Playa del Carmen (Mexico), Samui (Thailand), and the Yucatan (Mexico)

DAN has issued a statement saying that out of pocket expenses will be covered by DAN. It appears the dispute is over what is seen as reasonable and customary costs for providing care. The chambers contend that DAN is unwilling to pay their fees.

I found a great link on DiveHappy to a story on becoming a Dive Master in Vietnam. I did my Dive Master certification here in the US but I love diving in South East Asia and if you’re even remotely interested in taking the professional diving plunge, getting certified in Vietnam sounds like a great alternative.

The Cayman Islands Central Planning Authority has approved a plan by Dolphin Discovery (Cayman) Ltd. to develop two dolphin parks in West Bay.

PHUKET: Following a February 23 meeting to discuss problems in Phuket’s recreational dive industry, a new committee will be formed to ensure that all dive operators are accurately reporting their income – and paying taxes on it.

Phuket’s Chief Administrative Officer (Palad), Nivit Aroonrat, who chaired the meeting, said that the Phuket dive industry currently comprises 106 operators, of which about 70% are owned by foreigners.

“Many people have [complained] about the large number of foreigners coming here to open dive shops that give little back to our country.

“Although most are registered in the name of a Thai, these are just proxies. The companies are actually administrated by foreigners, which makes it difficult for us to know their real numbers of customers, staff and boats, and their income,” he said.

“It isn’t fair that these companies take in 50,000 to 100,000 baht from each customer for dive trips and then give nothing back to Phuket in taxes … There are many dive companies in Phuket that are evading taxes.

“This is why we will form a special committee to oversee the industry and check on these dive outfits to see how much income they actually make and how many people they really employ,” he said.

Despite the fact that officials from the government agencies involved in environmental protection told the meeting that they had received no reports of environmental damage caused by dive operators, the committee will also establish zones in provincial waters where dive tours may be conducted; other areas would be declared conservation zones and will be off-limits.

K. Nivit added that he believed there was no reason to have so many foreign dive masters and instructors when Thais were capable of doing these jobs.

“Thais can teach diving, but the foreigners don’t give us the chance,” he said.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
18:32 local time (GMT +7)

Aliya the Beluga whale has learned to blow bubble rings and is entertaining guests at a Japanese aqarium.

New Zealand is going to be putting a focus on diver health in order to discover ways to keep divers safer.

I’m not sure if this is going anywhere but it looks like an ambitious group of folks have started a scuba related website called Scupedia. The aim looks to be to create a scuba specific version of Wikipedia (an open encyclopedia which anyone can add information to). The site doesn’t have much up there just yet but maybe if enough scuba divers, dive masters, and instructors pitch in this can become a valuable tool for the scuba diving community.

KOH RACHA YAI: Japanese tourist Akira Egoshi, 24, died while diving in Siam Bay, off Koh Racha Yai, on Wednesday.

Pol Maj Chana Sutthimas, an Inspector with the Chalong Police, told the Gazette that a tour party of 11 Japanese tourists led by four dive masters from Kata Diving Co Ltd left Chalong Pier aboard the dive boat Laddawan 5 at 8:20 am, bound for Koh Racha Yai.

“The crew of Laddawan 5 called in at about 4 pm to report that a diver was missing,” he said. “At that time, their divers were still looking for him.”

Maj Chana said that it seemed Mr Egoshi had swam away from the rest of the divers and had become snagged on a rock. Unable to free himself, he had run out of oxygen.

Marine Police responded to the Laddawan 5 crew’s call for help and launched a search for Mr Egoshi, Maj Chana said.

“Hi s body was found and taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where it was identified. We are continuing our investigation into the incident,” he added.

The Gazette made repeated attempts today to contact senior management at Kata Dive Co Ltd but without success.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
18:33 local time (GMT +7)

PHANG NGA: Marine scientists are still charting the extent of an uncharted reef off Tai Muang, Phnag Nga, covering, they say, at least four square kilometers – far larger than any known reef in the region.

The discovery of the reef, made in the first week of January, was documented by Songpol Tippayawong, Head of the Thailand Marine and Coastal Conservation Unit (MCCU) of the WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund). The MCCU were surveying a reef nearby when they were tipped off by local fishermen.

“We never thought the reef would be so large,” said K. Songpol, who is a Phang Nga native. “I have never even seen a reef that is [even] one kilometer square in Thailand, and so far we have surveyed four square kilometers of this new reef. It is actually bigger; we have yet to survey the exact boundaries.”

Describing the reef, K. Songpol told t he Gazette, “It was great – very big and healthy. It is in good condition and only about 1% of it was damaged by the tsunami.

“It is completely different from the [reefs at] the Similans, Surin or Richelieu – it is not sloping, and it is home to species never before seen in Thai waters as well as species [that before were] seen only in the Similans, such as a rare type of sweet lips.

“We also found one rock [formation] with over 20 lobsters in it. We named that site ‘lobster condo’,” he said.

Although the MCCU has yet to complete its assessment of the reef, the team has so far recorded more than 30 genera of hard corals and 112 species of fish from 56 families, including the parrot fish Chlorurus rakaura, which has never been seen in Thai waters before.

For now, K. Songpol is keeping the location of the reef a secret in order to protect it. “I’m not telling anyone exactly where it is,” he said, adding that the reef must first be surveyed, the coral’s condition assessed and the boundaries of the reef established.

“We believe it will have the capability to boost tourism in the area [but only] when there is a good management plan [in place]. We are in the middle of doing a field survey and we are collecting scientific data in order to zone the area and put down some mooring buoys.”

K. Songpol expressed concern that enforcement of environment conservation laws was lacking, which might jeopardize the reef. “There are a lot of good laws in Thailand. However, enforcement needs to be more effective. It’s manageable, but we have to get involvement from all state authorities and other interested parties.”

He explained that a management strategy was crucial to protecting the reef. The strategy should include raising awareness a mong local people, zoning and the reintroduction of some rare species of marine life, promoting tourism with participation from local villagers, and continual coral restoration. “We have already introduced 100 giant clams [at the new reef],” he said. – Sylvie Yaffe

To see picture/s related to this story, please go to http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=4851&display=1Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
16:41 local time (GMT +7)

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