Turning school students into divemasters – the next step!

Since August 22^nd, Wicked Diving’s team of teachers have been visiting local tourism school, SMKN1 Labuan Bajo, everyThursday. Headed up by Jo, Wicked’s Conservation Manager, and Mei, Wicked’s office superstar and former student of SMKN1, the programme began with a series of lessons focusing on marine conservation.

From threats to the marine environment, to information about how many eggs a turtle lays, we aimed to give students a much broader view of what they can find right on their doorstep in the Komodo National Park. In addition, students were also given an inspirational talk by one of their peers, Marsel, one of Wicked’s divemasters and a Flores local. The aim of these classes was to inspire pride in the local area and give more information about how and why students should aspire to work within the dive industry.

The next stage is interviews. The programme we have prepared is not only theory based. Our intention is to take some of the more promising and enthusiastic students through a series of practical lessons, which will begin with swimming and then see some learning how to dive and working their way through the dive certifications to finally reach Stress and Rescue diver and then ultimately to become SSI Dive Guides. However, with 86 students in the class, it is impossible in our time frame to provide practical training in these areas to all the students to ensure success and further learning. We now begin the difficult task of whittling down these smiling and hopeful students to a smaller number.

We started the interviews on a student by student basis. We were looking for good command of English, ambition and a real desire to work within the dive industry. It’s a really tough job, as many students want to be given this great opportunity. The wonderful thing we realised throughout the initial interview process was how effective our classroom sessions had been. Many students cited a newly discovered love for the underwater environment and for its conservation. We also received lots of feedback which showed that the students had not thought it would be possible to start work within the dive industry and they now understand that it is possible, and also what skills they need to be successful. 

Our goals are two-fold and the swimming lessons will be split into 2 groups. Complete beginners in one group, and those who can already swim in a second. We will provide important life skills to those students who cannot yet swim, as whatever employment they seek in the future, living on an island nation and working in tourism will most likely mean exposure to water, be it swimming pools, waterfalls or the sea. By learning how to swim they can be more confident and safe around the water.

The second group of swimmers will be given an opportunity to improve their skills and demonstrate comfort in the water. It is from this group that we will take students to complete the diving programme.

We have already seen some very promising individuals, some of whom with a real hunger to become dive guides, even some students whose family members work within the industry already. We are looking forward to finishing the interviews in next week’s lesson and then being able to inform students of their successes. One of the really inspiring finding is that so far, we have just as many females as males. Go the girls!

We’ll keep you updated as we continue the programme and even profile some of our candidates on the blog, so you can meet them in person!

-Wicked Diving Komodo

Bye bye to our SMKN1 interns – they’ll be missed

It’s with a heavy heart that we will soon say goodbye to our interns from SMKN1.


SMKN1 Labuan Bajo is the Vocational Tourism school which Wicked Diving Komodo is working currently working with, teaching the 2nd year students about marine conservation and very soon swimming lessons.


However, every year the 3rd year students have to finish up their education with a 3 month stint interning in a local tourism business.


This year we were joined by 5 students...yes 5! Golin, Sari, Soni, Rikard and Elis, all from different areas in Flores, helped out with many aspects of the day to day life in the shop. They shadowed various members of the team, so they could learn the different roles and all of them even got a chance to head out on our day trip boat for snorkeling trips with our guest and a walk on the wild side with the dragons on Rinca.


Not only that, but they have been a core part of the teaching team in the classroom at SMKN1. They listen to the lessons before the class and this enables them to help the students during class. They have been passionately involved in all the teachings about marine conservation and the ecosystem.


Some of their most enjoyable memories for all of them have been getting out in Labuan Bajo and helping to keep Labuan Bajo clean. They have visited Plastic Man and learnt about recycling. They have got out to many local beaches to help clean up and when they’ve had the time, they have also messed around and played at being pirates!




Thanks to Golin, Sari, Soni, Rikard and Elis. Your smiling faces will be missed around the shop!


-Wicked Diving Komodo

Plasticman - We salute you!!!

Based just out of town in Labuan Bajo, near to the airport, is a pretty special place with big ambitions. This is the home of Plastic Man. Plastic Man aka Stefan and his group of tireless supporters are on a crusade to rid Labuan Bajo of plastics and other rubbish and to teach the message of recycling to all that they can.


Wicked joined up with Plastic Man recently, and local charity Support International, as we wanted to get a better feel of what they do and how we can help. 7 interns from the local tourism school and instructor Jo headed over on Plastic Man’s own unique method of transportation – a little pick-up truck, complete with sound system and speakers.


When we got to the waste bank, Stefan gave all of our interns a talk about how and why they are recycling. We all learned about how the rubbish is separated, where it goes and who provides it. We then split into two teams and got to work. One team began by separating the rubbish and preparing it for shipment to Surabaya in Java. The second team picked up spades and rakes and started digging the land around the waste bank.


In addition to providing recycling services, the goal of the waste bank is to provide a model of self sufficient farming for local people to come and visit. The ground is being prepared for vegetable planting, a well has been dug, Marley the goat is the first of the animals to join the farm and there will even be a reading garden where families can come and read books at their leisure in a place where reading resources are often hard to come by and to afford for lower income families.


Stefan and Support International have some great plans to take their project further and at present the majority of the work is done by volunteers, some international and some from Labaun Bajo. For any visitors to Labuan Bajo who want to get involved and help out Plastic Man, Support International and their various projects, there are lots of opportunities, be it for one day or one week.


We are grateful that there are passionate people out there who believe in protecting the beauty of their country and we’re lucky to be in the position to be able to help educate the younger generation about waste management. Hopefully a little bit of the passion and selflessness will rub off and we’ll be able to see the change far and wide.


-Wicked Diving Komodo

Turtle Hatchery Visit

Turtle Hatchery with the kids from the FED School for Talented and gifted students.

Wicked Diving was founded on the belief that we need to do more than simply take guests diving. WE need to take care of ecosystems and our local community. We set aside 2% of all revenue towards these projects. This manifests itself in many ways - ranging from our work with the Baan San Fan Orphanage to our Manta Research projects.

One of our longest running programs has been working with the gifted Students at the FED school for children of Burmese migrant workers. While formerly known as the GHRE school, they have changed their name to FED now. More on them can be found here: http://wickeddiving.com/ghre-school.

Our activities with the school range from lectures given about marine topics (conservation, plastics, salt vs. freshwater) to special outings. This week we were able to organize a great day out! We took the kids to our local Turtle Hatchery and showed them around. We then followed that up with a beach clean-up after pointing out that ingesting plastics are the leading cause of Turtle deaths.

Here's a quick report from Choc:

As part of our community projects, today we took 14 of the Burmese students and Max, their teacher to the Turtle Hatchery in Tablamu Navy Base. The goal was to give them a fun opportunity to interact with these lovely marine animals, learn a bit from them and realize the threats they face.

Walking around the tanks we had the chance to observe 3 of the 5 different species of turtle that inhabit Thai waters: hawksbill, green and olive ridley; some very little ones just few days old, some very big individuals that weight 50-60 kg!

After that, we had a well deserved lunch and a beach clean-up.

The day finished with some pictures and a delicious ice cream that helped everyone to cool down a bit. ;-)

Choc and Diego.

Thanks guys - Photos below!!!!


-Wicked Diving Thailand

Ocean safe Sunscreen

Wicked Diving operates in places with a great deal of sunshine. That's partly why so many people join us again and again. Our Similan Dive Center is located just 10 degrees north of the Equator in Thailand and out Komodo Dive Center is located 8 degrees South of the equator. A major concern for all our guests and staff should be sun-exposure.

Why is it important to use sunscreen?

Skin damage from sunlight builds up with continued exposure, whether sunburn occurs or not. In addition to skin cancer and sunburn, other effects can include wrinkling, premature aging, and in time, an almost leathery appearance of the skin. Research also suggests that excessive exposure to UV radiation may interfere with the body's immune system.

Sunburn is associated with the shorter ultraviolet wavelengths, known as ultraviolet B (UVB). The longer wavelengths, known as ultraviolet A (UVA), however, can penetrate the skin and damage connective tissue at deeper levels, even if the skin's surface feels cool. It is important to limit exposure to both UVA and UVB.

Sunscreens play an important role in a total program to reduce the harmful effects of the sun, along with limiting sun exposure and wearing protective clothing.

To help consumers select products that best suit their needs, sunscreens are labeled with SPF numbers. SPF stands for "Sun Protection Factor." The higher the SPF number, the more sunburn protection the product provides. Remember, sunscreen use alone will not prevent all of the possible harmful effects of the sun.

Is My Sunscreen Harming Corals?

Coral is a living organism that needs algae for food. Research now shows that certain ingredients in regular suntan lotions activate viruses inside algae. When these viruses replicate, they kill off the algae. Without the algae, the coral dies.

Four main ingredients that harm coral cited in a recent study are: paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and camphor. Avoid these ingredients. Some experts also recommend avoiding suntan lotion with anything beginning with "oxy" or "hexa.” Another problem with some sunscreens is that the oil in them can float in the water, blocking sunlight. So try to avoid sunscreen that seems to come off too easily and leave oily residue.

Look for ingredients that say biodegradable, organic or natural or that assert that they are coral safe, reef safe, eco safe or environmentally friendly. Remember, these terms do not guarantee that the product is ocean-safe. You still need to check the actual ingredient list. Look for active ingredients that are thought to be safer, such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and avobenzone. The good news is that these ingredients are probably not only safer for the environment, but also safer for you.

Increasingly department stores and Pharmacies are offering environmentally safe sunscreen.  You can also look in health food stores. For the best selection, look online, the internet has lots of choices and you can read customer reviews before buying.

Ocean-safe sunscreen or sunblock is effective. If it says it offers SPF 30, for example, it will protect you as well as a regular SPF 30.

It is worth noting that biodegradable sunscreen may blend in differently upon application. Some brands work better when rubbed in more slowly as they may congeal when applied too quickly. You may need to experiment to find the best ocean-safe sunscreen for you. Reading reviews on the internet may help you choose.

Apply ocean-friendly sunscreen or sunblock early. If you apply 10 to 20 minutes before you enter the water, the lotion has a chance to absorb into the skin, and less of it will wash off. Rub in slowly but as much as you can. Sunscreen will rub in better than sunblock, which is more opaque. Even environmentally friendly products can contain ingredients that float in the water, blocking sunlight. Coral need sunlight to thrive. So apply early, apply sparingly, and rub in thoroughly.

Wear a rash vest to protect your upper body and shoulders. Only apply ocean-safe sunscreen to areas that will be in the sun whilst snorkeling or swimming, such as your face and back of the legs.

Other personal products, such as antiperspirant, perfume, and body lotion, may also harm the delicate reef eco-system, so do not wear these when swimming in the ocean, especially when near coral.

Even the oil and bacteria in your skin can harm coral, so do your best to never touch coral. Keep fins away as well. If you can't maintain positive buoyancy without touching the coral, then move away to another area or wear a life vest if you are snorkelling.

Stay safe - take care of your skin. Think locally and take care  of the reefs we visit in Thailand and Komodo

-Wicked Diving Komodo

Similan Islands Turtle Education - Trip Report

Similan Islands Turtles and Reef Special Education Trip

Wicked Diving is committed to far more than just diving. We are very passionate about our environment and how to reduce our impact on it. We do this with more than just good intentions and talk. We use only organic, biodegradable soaps, shampoos and conditioners. Even our washing up soap is organic and biodegradable. We also require all of our professional dive courses to initiate and implement and ecological program. Each year we donate 10% of our profits to local NGO's to improve the community around us.

But one of the most important pieces of our environmental program - is our educational trips. While being famous for offering the first and most thorough Whale Shark research trips in Thailand, we also offer trips that educate and raise awareness regarding Sharks & Rays, Turtles and even trips to our locals wrecks and pinnacles.

From the 5^th to 7^th of December, Wicked Diving conducted the first special educational trip of the season! Our eager participants learned about the 7 species of sea turtles, of which four hang around in the Andaman Sea: Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley's Turtles!

On each night of the trip our own Marine Biologist, Karina, conducted a presentation about Turtles. Ranging from the sea turtles life cycle to how and why they have adapted to live on the sea. We also shared information on what is the main threat to Turtles (humans - but in ways you might now expect!) Of course it does no good to just comment about the turtles and their threats - current research and conservation efforts were also shared. Most importantly - we learned about how can we help the Turtles and what we can do to make life easier for these endangered species!

We visited Similan Island #1. This island is off limits to all visitors (snorkeling and diving). as it is a Turtle sanctuary and hatchery. However, with special permission granted by the generous Rangers of the Similan Islands National Park, we were lucky enough to visit this remote location.

The nesting beach is protected from all visitors to prevent any disturbance to nesting turtles or to any freshly released hatchlings.

Ever vigilant - the rangers watch for signs of nesting (disturbed sand and tracks). Once the Turtles lay their eggs, the rangers will mark the nests and raise the eggs.

The sanctuary consists of 6 tanks to hold the new born turtles and nurse them for some months until they will have a larger size and a better chance of survival when placed back in the sea.

We learned that one of the biggest hazards to Turtle nesting is the cleanliness of the beaches. If there is too much rubbish, then the turtles can't actually dig their nests.

As part of all our educational programs - we strongly emphasize what we do DO. for the Turtle Education trip, we decided to embark on both an extensive beach cleanup, but also a reef cleanup.

As you can see, it took some effort! All guests and staff took part in this. Of course spending a day on one the most remote beaches in the world, helping preserve turtle hatching areas and enjoying life is not exactly the hardest work - but just look at how much rubbish we collected!

Of course there was more than just the beaches!

“TURTLE” someone joyously yelled as we were having a break time while moored on Donald Duck Bay at Similan Island #8. And there it was: a beautiful big sea turtle swimming on the side of our boat. Snorkels and cameras on, lets enjoy the meeting with this so ancestral, endangered and amazing animal!

Unfortunately the turtles approach the boats expecting to get food. Some dive operators try to impress their customers by feeding them with bread and bananas! This is both harmful as the foods are foreign to the ecosystems of the turtles - but it is also very harmful in another way. If the turtles were to approach a fishing boat - they are simply plucked out of the water and eaten! So to impress their guests, they are killing the turtles :(

At Wicked Diving we understand that creating dependence and disturbing feeding habits is not the way… We strongly discourage feeding and touching of any wild life! If you are with a dive or snorkel operator that feeds the fish - please point out the hazards of this horrible habit. Or even better - chose a dive operator that does not partake of such activities.

All the participants in our Turtle Educational tour were certified as Naturalist Divers as they also learned about the reefs, gastropods, cephalopods, arthropods, etc...

Sounds like a lot? It's just the marine life we see underwater everyday! Would you like to learn more? Come join us on our next special education trip - Manta Ray and Whale shark Conservation and Research on February 6- 8 2010!

As always - when you dive with Wicked, you make a difference!

-Similan Diving

Economic Solutions to Overfishing?

Here are Wicked Diving we are always looking for ways to get reduce the amount of fishing going on - particularly right here! The impact from overfishing is obvious on almost dive site in the world. Locally we can see the results. On the Similan Islands there is a certain amount of protection and the government enforces the no-fishing rule (sometimes)

However the greatest way to make changes is to make economic changes. AS areas are overfished - there is less money in the act. To replace that with something that pays more and is easier is definitely a great option.

An article In Dive Magazine Uk talks about the Shark Diving in Fiji on destroyed reefs. They not only generate a large amount of income - but they are a famous destination for those wanting to experience Sharks. Personally I am not a fan of feeding fish - but I am a fan of showing how there are many ways to generate income in small communities that create a viable alternative to fishing.

http://www.divemagazine.co.uk/news/article.asp?uan=5243

Great Alternatives are artifical reefs - either manmade of through shipwrecks. Here in Khao Lak, the local dives are done from converted fishing longtails. The drivers earn much more per day than at fishing, and do less work. We are working on some other options in the near future that will offer more alternatives to these fisherman.


-Similan Diving

please don't eat reef fish....

Growing Taste for Reef Fish Sends Their Numbers Sinking

David Longstreath/Associated Press

Reef fish swimming among the coral in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, in 2007.

By JENNIFER PINKOWSKI

Published: January 19, 2009

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia — It is a slow night at the Port View Restaurant here, and still the place seems packed. Several banquet tables are crowded with a dozen people apiece. Each table seems as if it could collapse from the weight of plates.

A fisherman examining reef fish caught in Malaysia in 2006.

A catch of reef fish from Malaysia in 2006.

Falling to the forks are steaming spring prawns, spotted lobster, coral trout and especially giant grouper, which minutes before had been listlessly swimming in one of the many murky tanks at the Port View, one of the most popular restaurants in this tourist town on the northeast tip of Borneo, in Malaysia’s Sabah province.

The fierce appetite for live reef fish across Southeast Asia — and increasingly in mainland China — is devastating populations in the Coral Triangle, a protected marine region home to the world’s richest ocean diversity, according to a recent report in the scientific journal Conservation Biology. Spawning of reef fish in this area, which supports 75 percent of all known coral species in the world, has declined 79 percent over the past 5 to 20 years, depending on location, according to the report.

Overfishing in general, and particularly of spawning aggregations that occur when certain species of reef fish gather in one place in great numbers to reproduce, may be the culprit, says Yvonne Sadovy, a biologist at the University of Hong Kong who wrote the report along with scientists from Australia, Hong Kong, Palau and the United States.

She said the report’s conclusions were based on the first global database on the occurrence, history and management of spawning aggregations. It includes data from 29 countries or territories. Some of the information is based on interviews with more than 300 commercial and subsistence fishers in Asia and the western Pacific between 2002 and 2006.

“The Coral Triangle has relatively few spawning aggregations reported in the communities we went to,” Dr. Sadovy said in an e-mail message. “We think that this might be due to the more heavily fished (overall) condition of reef fisheries in many parts of the Coral Triangle, where there is uncontrolled fishing and high demand for live groupers for the international live fish trade.” About one-third of the species mentioned in the report are sold in Asian markets.

Since the 1980s, Hong Kong has been the epicenter of the live fish trade. That trade has greatly expanded in the last decade to an $810 million business, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, which monitors the market. Rising wealth in mainland China may be a contributing factor to the increase in the trade with the demand for exotic fish especially high in Shanghai and Beijing. Destinations popular with Chinese tourists are seeing an increase, too. While Kota Kinabalu — known here simply as K.K. — has long been a draw for Chinese vacationers, “eating tourism” is booming lately. That’s because live reef fish cost 60 percent less here than in Hong Kong, said Angela Lim, the fund’s communications director here for the Live Reef Trade Initiative.

Even locals unaffiliated with the tourist trade are aware of the surge. Across the street from the Port View, Malays at the famous Night Market speak with awe about the Chinese tourists who spend “a thousand ringgits a week just eating fish.”That’s about $280.

Grouper is by far the most popular — and therefore endangered — of the reef fish, with 26 percent of the world’s 161 species threatened or near threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature 2008 Red List, an annual tally of endangered species around the globe.

With life spans of up to 40 years, groupers can grow to eight feet in the wild. After sexual maturity, female groupers can change into males to compensate for population imbalances, becoming “secondary males” in a process called protogyny. But groupers take five years to mature, and most are taken out of the water long before. They are grown to market size in seaside tanks and on dinner plates before they can reproduce.

Geoffrey Muldoon, director of the fund’s live fish trade initiative, said the live trade was largely responsible for “the removal of juvenile or undersize and sexually immature fish.” The fund works to manage the Coral Triangle with the six countries that share its seas — Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor. It is no easy task in a region where “fish bombing” with dynamite or cyanide is routine, and where the enforcement of existing protected zones is often anemic.

The organization is aiding the creation of the region’s first commercial fishing trade organization to establish standards for sustainable practices. Initial talks between government and industry representatives are being planned. Dr. Sadovy suggested that spawning aggregations be considered protected events rather than simply times when fish are easy to catch, as has been done with salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Other species have similar protections.

“Colonies of seabirds were once exploited heavily and are now protected,” said Dr. Sadovy, who is also director of the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations, an international group. “Special feeding or breeding places are now routinely protected on land for many species, because of the recognition that animals are vulnerable at this time or that their aggregated state is very important for their biology.”

She added, “From a very practical perspective, loss of the aggregations ultimately means loss of the associated fishery, so it makes good practical sense to change our attitude.”

Similan Diving

(repost) Conservation and protection on the Similan National Parks

We here at Wicked Diving are working to do our part in conservation and protection ont he Islands - here are a few tips on how to help and what you can do (simple things) to make the whole park better.

Here is a list of things you can do to help conserve our islands above and below the water

Passengers on boats...

• Please refrain from discarding water bottles, sweet wrappers and other forms of litter/garbage into the surrounding waters. When thrown overboard, debris such as cigarette butts, plastic straws, and plastic bags are accidentally ingested by marine creatures such as turtles and result in death. Please collect all refuse and dispose of it in the garbage containers provided on the mainland, or if bins are not available then pack it back to your hotel or the dive shop.
• Polystyrene containers and plastic bottles are non-biodegradable. They accumulate on reefs and pollute the marine environment.
• Ensure that all polystyrene and plastic containers on board are stored in appropriate locations on the boat and firmly secured to prevent them from accidentally falling overboard, or use alternatives for storing food and liquids.
• Be mindful of walking on live corals or other delicate marine organisms whilst paddling or snorkelling.

On the beach

Leave no trace. If you visit, you are a guest, so please clean up after yourself.

• If you must smoke, please deposit your cigarette butts in the appropriate recepticle.
• place all your trash in the appropriate place, or better yet, make an effort to bring it back with you.
• If you see garbage or other unnatural products on the beach, please deposit them in the garbage, or advise a Park Ranger or your tour leader about it.
• Don't collect shells or souvenirs. One piece might seem like nothing, but this is part of the ecosystem. The shell might actually be home to a hermit crab.
• Speak up - if you see damaging practices, say something. Let the operator know that you will be publicly posting your opinions on forums like Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, TripAdvisor and more.

SEA TURTLES

• All four species found in Thailand are endangered.
• Leave nesting turtles well alone.
• Please do not attempt the "rescue" of eggs or hatchlings. Notify the Royal Thai Navy or the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) or both if nests are found. Record the date and time and location of your discovery. This will aid in attempts by professional staff to locate and protect the nests. If you are on a Marine National Park, find a ranger and urge him/her to protect the site while help is on the way.
• If you venture into the forest on islands, walk only on marked trails. Snakes abound on most islands. They will bite when stepped on, disturbed or threatened.

For Divers

Respect the marine environment.

• Remember - take only photographs and memories. Leave only bubbles.
• The marine environment is extremely fragile and easily damaged. To ensure the future survival of these magnificent treasures of the deep, and the diving pleasure of those who come after you, avoid all contact with living surfaces and marine life.

Killed By A Single Touch

Corals are highly vulnerable and can be easily damaged simply by being touched. All coral have a thin mucous covering, secreted by the creature for its protection. Simply touching the coral removes this coating, thereby leaving the coral exposed to risks of infection that can spread throughout the entire colony. Surprisingly, the large slow-growing boulder corals are the ones most susceptible to damage.
Other creatures, such as the Whale Shark - the largest fish in the ocean, also have a similar coating.

• Please try to avoid touching the reef at all times. If you must (for example in a strong current or to stop yourself from crashing into it), then please choose a dead piece of coral or bare rock to hold onto, or use your knife or hands in the sand.
• Please also try to avoid the use of gloves (except when wreck diving).
• If using gloves, remember that they protect the reef from you, not the other way around. When close to the reef, try using a frog kick instead of the usual flutter kick. This stirs up much less sand which can easily smother the corals.
• Practice ecologically sound diving practices.
• Do your very best to control buoyancy. Corals and other static marine life are damaged or killed when trampled or knocked. Avoid causing inadvertent damage by taking special instruction or refresher classes before diving on reef areas.
• If you are new to diving and unsure of your buoyancy control, please hover a little higher over the reef than the experienced divers.
• With marine animals such as turtles, puffer fish, leopard sharks and whale sharks,
  keep a respectful distance and do not touch or intimidate them by holding on or deliberately try to block their route.
• Also try to avoid feeding marine creatures whilst diving. This can incite unnaturally aggressive behavior from them.
• DO NOT FEED TURTLES on the Surface. They learn to approach boats for food. This is very dangerous when they approach fishing boats.

For Dive Operators

• Adopt a work ethic that is conservation-minded and avoid practices that are driven by profit and short-term gain.
• Keep diving operations environmentally friendly. Avoid dumping of waste, plastic, or oil into the sea. Pump grey water tanks away from anchorage and dive sites.
• Update charts and maps with the location of mooring buoys. Always tie boats to the buoy mooring line from the bow. Tying boats to the mooring buoys from the rear or the side of the boat can damage the buoy.
• Please refrain from dropping anchor on top of coral reef areas, inside or outside of Marine National Parks.
• Provide alternatives to plastic food containers. Reusable plates, bowls and eating utensils for divers and encourage their use.
• To discourage divers from touching marine life, do not allow gloves on the boat.
• Ensure that you provide a sufficient number of strategically placed containers on board the dive vessels to encourage the proper disposal of garbage.
• Nothing overboard
• In case of breakdown radio the Third Naval Unit, Royal Thai Navy for assistance.
• In Case of Diving Emergency call DAN or SSS Network for assistance.
• For immediate Evacuation call Diver Safety

For You - The Visitor

Work only with ground or dive operators who have demonstrated interest in marine conservation, abide by laws and regulations, have environmentally sound working codes of practice and teach and promote good conservation ethics.
If you see bad behavior, report it to the national park rangers, complain to the shop owners and most of all post your experiences on the public forums like lonely plant, trip advisor and bootsnall.

Similan Diving

Similan Guide

Divemaster Training