Notfromthisplanet

"Thai Academics" strike again. It's not hard to guess what will happen as soon as the divers are not there to report illegal fishing. And how many businesses can afford to simply close down for a month?

You obviously do not live here in thailand, otherwise you would know that East of Eden is only one of many sites here. It is also pretty dead like some of the other sites in the similan chain!

Good to hear Thai authorities are doing some husbandry for the seas off the coast. It's a small step, but appreciated. Lots more needs to be done. One month respite? How about five years? And what's being done about trash dumping up and down all Thai coasts? I used to visit Thailand's beaches, but each year there was more trash strewn about, so now I go visit other places.

Sad to hear this, it is only a front to make people think that they are doing someting............... I mean 1 month closure will make absolutly no difference to the sites!

Fishing boats need to be CONTROLLED PROPERLY, even dive boats and speedboats as they also have toilets that flush into and onto the reefs.

There should be a NO PLASTIC BAG POLICY on speedboats and other boats to stop the possibility of these falling/flying into the sea, bottles should be counted berfore boats leave and if they do not return with the same amounts, then fine them....heavily! Money for their pockets!

Beaches should have paid people to clean them!

Thailand is a bag country.......just go to 7/11 and buy a few things to see for yourself!

The problem with most of these solutions is that it costs money and does not put money into someones pocket.........this means that if they cannot be bothered to inpliment these movements then tourists (apart from sex tourists) will veto thailand and that will be the end of thailand!

Maybe when new hotels are being built they install sewerage treatment plants, thus creating more jobs for people and less waste going into the sea?

Why is it not so, they can bring thailand up to other 1st world country standards?

Yep, another dumb solution from a bozo politician. The place will be decimated by illegal fishing if diving and tourism is banned.

It's quite sad.

I have to agree if there are no more dive operations going to the similans then the fishing boats will reap the benefits.

As an instructor i am appalled at the amount of fishing line (brand new line) that sits and hangs around on the reefs, fishing boats do not care and only want to make a living by any means possible, otherwise they would not hide sharks that they catch. They would go elsewhere!

We had the same problem in Sri Lanka, where they would cut our moorings! We can work together in harmony!

What should be done is to sack all those that 'work to conserve the national marine parks (N.M.P.)'' and hire people that have preservation in mind!

This 600 baht is a joke and i say that we should either refuse to pay it, as divers, or go somewhere where there is no fee!

If all divers refuse then the N.M.P. will have to change or the D.C. (dive centers) will find new dive sites.

They do not realise that if they agitate the diving community too much, phuket, khao lak, koh tao, koh chang etc will die....... jobs will go....... farang and thai....fishing boats will do as they please and more bluefin tuna will be illegally killed and sent to australia or other countries!

I give thailand maybe another 5 years and if they do not change their ways in the fishing community then most of the dive sites will die.

We have had customers that have cancelled diving after only a few dives due to the fact that here is rubbish and not what was to be expected. If the divers are fresh then similans are good.....until they go somewhere else.

As to coral bleaching............yes it is here but not 90% more like 10%-20%.... mainly on koh bon, west ridge and small amounts (i mean small amounts) on the other islands. Ignorance is not bliss but stupidity. Coral bleaching does not come from divers, who are told to be aware of where their fins are but from high water temperatures 34'c instead of 28'c/29'c.

Maybe we should bypass the N.M.P and get petitions signed and sent to higher authorities instead, where maybe they will listen!

I have also seen speedboats using anchors and boats that feed the marine life, including ours.... yes it is nice to see the fish or turtles up close but these creatures can not differentiate between feeding boats and non-feeding boats and thus come up to the 'big thing s that gives us easy food'' and be killed when the captian starts the propellars and kills them!!!!

DO NOT FEED THEM::::::YOU WILL CHANGE THEIR FEEDING PATTERN!!!!!!!