PHUKETWAN is calling again for an independent public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the MV Dive Asia 1 two weeks ago, with the loss of seven lives.

Confidence in the diving industry on Phuket can only be restored after such tragic loss of life by a full and through public investigation.

Phuketwan reporters have been asking questions about the tragic sinking for a fortnight now. Some answers to the more difficult questions have yet to be forthcoming.

The loss of seven lives on a boat made for tourists should and probably will remain a cause for international alarm and concern until all the answers are known.

Here is a summary of the reasons for an independent investigation.

The Mishap: Why Did a New Boat Sink?
MV DIVE ASIA 1 was launched in October and went to the bottom less than five months later. Phuketwan was told that, as with every locally-built vessel larger than 24 metres, blueprint plans for the boat were submitted and approved before construction began, as regulations require. When we asked to see the blueprint, we were told it was in Bangkok. One obvious characteristic of the boat is its height. Dive boats in and around Phuket have grown taller over the past decade, mostly with the addition of a third level. This has enabled them to carry more passengers without the need to increase the basic dimensions of the vessel. It has also enlarged the profile of these boats, making them more vulnerable in bad weather. Mostly, water and fuel tanks are placed in the bottom of these liveaboard boats. When full, the tanks provide ballast. However, at the conclusion of a long trip, fuel and water are likely to be depleted, with the centre of gravity rising as a consequence.

The Weather: Phuket Can Be Mean
THE WEATHER in and around the Andaman coast can be extremely changeable. At some times of the year, storms seem to arise out of blue skies. As most Phuket motorists know, it is possible to be perfectly dry one minute, absolutely drenched by a tropical downpour the next, then completely dry again on the other side within seconds. The north-easterly that blows across Phang Nga Bay at this time of the year is said to be so vicious that aircraft to and from Phuket divert around it. A regulation north-easterly was certainly causing a few storms in the region on that Sunday night. The route back from the Similan islands to Chalong pier leaves a boat side-on to the north-easterly. Weatherwise, it was also close to the peak of the lunar cycle, when tides are at their highest and waves usually increase in height and strength. Freakish bouts of weather involving severe squalls and high winds are not uncommon around Phuket. Whether the MV Dive Asia 1 was hit by a severe squall or, as some say, a water spout ''vortex'' is almost beside the point: the boat sank, and seven lives were lost. A spokesperson at the local meteorological bureau said they usually only issue warnings for storms above 30 knots, but the storms that evening were below that speed. Speeds of storms are measured, though, on land only. There is a telephone number that seafarers can call to check on prevailing conditions. Calls are rare.

Sinking and Rescue: Why So Sudden? Why So Slow?
SOME concern has been expressed about the speed with which the boat sank, and the speed of the rescue. Survivors say the MV Dive Asia 1 took two minutes to keel over, then in another two minutes, it was gone. Fortunately, the two liferaft were deployed. Although we have yet to learn precisely where the captain and crew were when the storm struck, no alarm was sounded. According to at least one survivor, glass cabin windows gave way quickly, allowing the sea to fill the boat. If the boat did contain an automatic emergency radio beacon designed for just such an emergency, it failed to work. The wreck of the MV Dive Asia 1 was found to be on the bottom of the ocean, about 20 kilometres off Patong, on approximately the route that the boat could have been expected to take back from the Similans to Chalong. With no alarm sounded, it is not surprising that staff from Dive Asia simply went to meet the boat as usual that Sunday at 8am, expecting to find passengers and crew waking up and keen for breakfast. Those missing nine hours from 11pm, when no rescue operation was mounted because no alarm was sounded, are explicable. Less easy to understand are the six daylight hours between when the boat was declared missing and when a Marine Police boat linked up with the survivors, after a telephone call alerted them to the precise location. Where did the searchers go? And why was it so difficult to find two liferaft, bobbing about within sight of Phuket's popular west coast the whole time, on a bright, clear day?

Conclusion: Why an Inquiry is Needed
THE SINKING of the MV Dive Asia 1 has to be investigated thoroughly for one simple reason: if another sinking like this one occurs, Phuket's diving industry is finished. The reasons why the MV Dive Asia 1 went to the bottom have to be clearly established. The reasons why there is and was no weather alert, no matter how ''freakish'' the conditions, have to be clearly established. The reasons why the rescue took so long have to be clearly established. In Bangkok, after the New Year's eve blaze at the Santika pub killed more than 60 people, the authorities acted with speed to ensure that everyone could feel confident and safe again when entering a nightclub. The same kind of due diligence now needs to be displayed by the authorities on Phuket. Tourists need to feel safe on the waters around the island. Dive Asia has a good reputation and its management has acted with professionalism since the sinking. But there are still too many unanswered questions, and too many doubts about safety across the entire diving industry that can only be resolved by a full, independent inquiry. We all need to know the truth.



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