-
Divers lead return of tourists to Andaman

Published on December 20, 2005 - Foreign and domestic divers are starting to come back in force to explore the Andaman underworld.

Academic Sakanan Plathong said he had noted a continued growth in the number of tourists in the area but the situation was not yet back to where it was before the tsunami.

Diving pro Vittayen Muttamara of Thailand Diving Network confirmed that divers were prevalent among the growing number of tourists.

“Most divers have already come back to the Andaman Sea. This group does not worry about tsunamis, they do not fear the sea like other people,” he said.

“I see packs of foreigners on the ferries to Phi Phi Island. The groups that have yet to come back to the tsunami-afflicted provinces are Thais and non-diving groups who have other reasons [for staying away], like the fear of ghosts.”

Paul Foley, a diver and independent consultant, agreed. “The diving business sells a life-style, not a reality. So divers come here to fulfil their dreams under water,” he explained.

One indicator of the increase in business, he said, was that more diving operations are emerging to add to the 80-odd in Phuket today.

Meanwhile, marine scientist Thorn Thamrongnavasawasdi said the authorities were building “man-made” coral reefs at various popular tourist spots in the Andaman Sea to replace some of those that were severely damaged by the tsunami, which will need years to recover naturally.

“They are well designed and will imitate the natural habitat,” Thorn said.

“This will be good for new divers or those who used to dive and had stopped for a while but want to get back into it – these groups of divers have problems maintaining control and tend to damage the coral.”

Kamol Sukin
The Nation