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A handrail under the water is dismantled off Phuket yesterday

Activists Drive Off Sea Walking

Thursday, May 9, 2013
PHUKET: Marine biologists combined with Marine Police yesterday to put a destructive coral reef walking business to flight.

The apparent retreat of the unwelcome underwater tourist business is a victory for the a growing band of Phuket environmental activists.

Phuket's hopes for a future in which natural gems above and below the water are protected from constant threats rest with activist intervention.

Marine biologist Dr Nalinee Thongtham of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre detected the damage being done off Khai Nai island weeks ago, with about 300 square metres of an ancient coral bed removed for the ''sea walking'' business.

Tourists who cannot snorkel or scuba dive are able to descend and walk along the sand wearing helmets supplied with oxygen through a hose from the surface.

What Dr Nalinee still cannot fathom is why anyone would wantonly destroy corals when the reefs are what attracts the creatures that the tourists hope to see.

''It will take thousands of years for nature to restore the coral reef at that spot,'' she said.

''We are very concerned that we don't have any law to prevent this kind of activity. These people may simply move on and start this activity somewhere else in the region.''

Sea walking is not the only threat that comes with mass tourism.

Speedboats anchored at Khai Nai are a threat to the coastal corals and should be forced to anchor further offshore, with passengers made to plunge into the water and float to shore, she said.

Mass tourism continues to threaten the marine environment of the whole Phuket region and requires the Andaman coastal community to be aware of the need for proper management, she said.

Comments

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Divers don't breath oxygen, they either breath air or mix gas. Oxygen is pure what is dangerous by increased pressure.

Posted by Staf Sulaiman on May 9, 2013 18:29

Editor Comment:

There's no oxygen in the hose lines? Really?

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Ed. Really. It is air.

Posted by stu on May 9, 2013 18:54

Editor Comment:

Air does not contain oxygen?

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Staf is that the most important thing you gained from this article. Well done Dr Nalinee Thongtham you have protected one of the main reasons I am in Phuket. You are also brave (without meaning to sound a male chauvanist but especially for a lady) for taking on people like this as some have influence. There needs to be a law to protect the reefs with harse penalties like jail. Thailand needs more people like you Dr Nalinee Thongtham! Again well done please have a celebration.

Posted by Lost In Translation on May 9, 2013 18:55

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yes but they're breathing air not oxygen.

Posted by stu on May 9, 2013 19:02

Editor Comment:

So it's not inaccurate to report as we did: ''Tourists who cannot snorkel or scuba dive are able to descend and walk along the sand wearing helmets supplied with oxygen through a hose from the surface.'' Good. And if they're not breathing oxygen . . .

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Oxygen is a pure gas. Air as we all know and breathe it, is a mixture of mainly 21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen and minute amounts of other gases that make up the rest.

When talking about diving related issues it's best to refer to air to avoid confusion because every dive boat also has pure oxygen onboard.

Various mixtures with higher levels of oxygen are also used in recreational diving, usually called Nitrox. They can contain up to 40% oxygen.

Extreme Technical Divers may use pure oxygen for decompression purposes.

I'm sure the divers in question were supplied air and not oxygen through the hoses.

Posted by Stephen on May 9, 2013 19:03

Editor Comment:

We knew that whatever the walkers were being delivered, it would contain oxygen. But thanks for the clarification.

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Finally some good news on phuketwan.
Good job Dr Nalinee Thongtham!

PS: ed, yes it is air, not oxygen.

Posted by Nick on May 9, 2013 19:35

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"We knew that whatever the walkers were being delivered, it would contain oxygen. But thanks for the clarification."
No, you thought they were being supplied with oxygen only. It takes a man to admit when he's wrong. Time to grow a pair Ed.......

Posted by stu on May 9, 2013 19:49

Editor Comment:

We reported in the manner we did because we didn't know what was being supplied to the walkers (Others are sure it's air).

Our wording was deliberately ambiguous.We knew they were being supplied with oxygen, but obviously not pure oxygen.

Didn't you?

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Ahhh Stephen rides to the rescue yet again. What a breath of fresh air!

Posted by Mister Ree on May 9, 2013 19:56

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Good news for the coral reef...next... fishing boats poaching within Marine National parks in the Andaman Sea.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on May 9, 2013 20:41

Editor Comment:

You mentioned once the prospect of putting a catamaran on the water with volunteers to spot abusers. I think that you probably got it right. There is no other answer. The people who care will do the protecting, if they have to.

And they have to.

The local authorities do not seem keen to protect the reefs and the beaches and the parks from abuses.

Q: Where are the Andaman enforcers? A: In other provinces, counting their loot.

I actually believe that only committed environmentalists will save Thailand's Andaman treasures. The authorities are too immersed in corruption. They are either subdued by it or part of the corrupt system. How sad for Thailand, and for Thailand's children.

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@Editor Comment:
I agree with you but to set up an "Andaman Sea Shepherd" team, we would need "Armed Vigiles" to protect us day and night and live as recluse people in well protected home to the end of our last breathe..... Any volunteer sign up for it????

Posted by Whistle-Blower on May 9, 2013 21:16

Editor Comment:

I don't think weapons are necessary. Nor is this a 'Sea Shepherd' type of operation. But a volunteer team of Thais and others highlighting the abuses, using modern technology, seems the only way of saving Thailand's natural treasures from corrupt people who see the country's natural endowments as a source of quick, corrupt income.

Perhaps an international team of young volunteers from Thailand and other places is Thailand's only hope.

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one of those fine tourists guides pumping me air from up top no thx
im not that foolhardy.

Posted by slickmelb on May 10, 2013 00:25

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Well done, finally a step in the right direction. and yes I do agree on volunteers spotting abuses to the environments cos we all know most Thais just close one eye if it doesn't affect them but once the point is raised, once noise is made, something has to be done.

Posted by May on May 10, 2013 08:48

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Fantastic stuff. Well done PMBC and Dr. Nalinee. A small victory in a losing battle. Phuket desperately needs more intervention from governmental bodies on issues like this.

@ the pedantics who are diluting this important issue by having a go at Ed about term "oxygen"...I have grown so accustomed to non-divers using the term "oxygen" that I don't even notice it anymore. Of course the term within diving is air, but there is oxygen in it as well so technically Ed is right. Just leave it and be thankful that at least this time someone did something.

Posted by NomadJoeDiver on May 10, 2013 09:25

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Fantastic stuff. Well done PMBC and Dr. Nalinee. A small victory in a losing battle. Phuket desperately needs more intervention from governmental bodies on issues like this.

@ the pedantics who are diluting this important issue by having a go at Ed about term "oxygen"...I have grown so accustomed to non-divers using the term "oxygen" that I don't even notice it anymore. Of course the term within diving is be air, but there is oxygen in it as well so technically Ed is right. Just leave it and be thankful that at least this time someone did something.

Posted by NomadJoeDiver on May 10, 2013 10:32

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Great news, and I want to congratulate everyone involved to get this done.

But:
"The authorities are too immersed in corruption. They are either subdued by it or part of the corrupt system. How sad for Thailand, and for Thailand's children."

Coming from notorious positive outlook ED, this really cooled me down. Three sentences that summed it up. Anyway ED, don't lose your hope and openness to a better future, as you are my beacon in the darkness of expat/Thai doomsayerness. Without you, I would be so much more cynical and maybe stopped coming back a long time ago.

Great reporting of really important news, that shows, that Ms. Nalinee and Phuketwan and some authorities really could make a differences for this reef.

Of course the walking gear is not going away and will be brought to use somewhere else, but a step has been done and other "investors" will think twice of buying stuff like that and the owner will think twice of destroying another reef so bluntly to make a foot path for the mentally challenged tourists.

Posted by Lena on May 10, 2013 14:53

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I never realized so many astute readers of phuket wan have a university degree in the composition of air we are all enlightened now.

Posted by slickmelb on May 11, 2013 02:03

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This kind of activity will grow with the ever growing number of chinese (in particular) and asian (in general) tourists. Because they simply can't swim, so they must offer them activities such as this.

Posted by christian on May 11, 2013 10:47

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@ slickmelb

Phuket has a large dive community and the composition of air is part of basic training for every diver.

It's also part of basic biology lessons around 5th or 6th grade, hardly something you'd need a university degree for.

I guess you didn't make it all the way up to 5th grade then.

Posted by Stephen on May 11, 2013 13:03

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@Stephen I thank for enlightening me with your hot air your vast and whats seems undrainable sense of knowledge though I think your been down 1 atmosphere too many.

Posted by slikmelb on May 12, 2013 16:36

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@ slikmelb

I was just yanking your chain about not making it to the 5th grade but looking at your punctuation I can see it's really true.

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Posted by Stephen on May 13, 2013 14:44


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