A team of dedicated scuba divers helped the local marine
environment this week by removing a threat to a nearby coral reef. Two large
fishing nets had become caught in the coral off the island of Koh Man Wichai,
a popular diving site about 15 miles west of Pattaya. The cleanup effort was
organized by PASS, the Pattaya Alliance for Safe Scuba, a cooperative of
dive shops that meets regularly to better the leisure diving industry in the
area. Coral reefs worldwide are under threat by development and over
fishing, and Southeast Asia is one of the bigger problem areas. When PASS
officials learned that two large nets had covered parts of the reef off Koh
Man Wichai, they formed a plan to “rescue” this delicate marine habitat.
The net,
supported by lift bags, trails behind the dive boat. A section of netting
over one hundred meters long was being hauled onto the boat. This part of
the job fell to the surface crew, and was not without its own risks.
On Tuesday, 27 August, 13 volunteers embarked on the
90-minute trip to the island. Unlike the nearby islands of Koh Larn and Koh
Sak, Koh Man Wichai gets less boat and jet-ski traffic, so the reefs there
are largely undisturbed. One of the more interesting dive sites is called
the “fingers”, a series of underwater ridges extending from the south
end of the island. The “fingers” are home to a diversity of corals, the
centerpiece animals of any coastal marine ecosystem. The corals provide
their own natural beauty, but the associated collective of colorful fishes,
eels, turtles and rays completes the picture. If the coral dies, so does the
marine life dependent on these animals; hence the sense urgency for PASS
members and the other volunteers.
The
survey dive revealed two fine mesh nets covering parts of three of the
“fingers” off Koh Man Wichai. Already there was evidence of bleaching, a
sign that coral had begun to “choke” from the smothering nets. Other
parts of the netting were pushed against the coral with the tide,
threatening to break off fragile branches.
The team was made up of PASS representatives from
Aquanauts Dive Centre, Eastiny Divers, Elite Divers, Mermaids Dive Center,
Scuba Moose, and two independent instructors based in Bangkok. PASS supplied
the boat, tools, scuba tanks and food. Also present were two underwater
videographers to record the event. The boat arrived at Koh Man Wichai in the
late morning, and the divers were anxious to begin work straight away.
The plan developed by PASS was to make a survey dive by a
small team to see exactly where the nets were positioned and how to approach
the cleanup. The survey dive revealed two fine mesh nets covering parts of
three of the “fingers”. Already there was evidence of bleaching, a sign
that coral had begun to “choke” from the smothering nets. Other parts of
the netting were pushed against the coral with the tide, threatening to
break off fragile branches.
The divers teamed up in groups of two or three, and each
group carried with them cutting tools and lift bags. The basic idea was to
cut the netting into manageable segments, then attach lift bags. The lift
bags would be filled with air, sending the netting to the surface to be
collected by the boat crew. The work was to be slow and deliberate, since
lifting the nets before they got clear of the coral could do further damage.
As always, safety was the team’s first concern. Scuba diving is inherently
a very safe sport. The primary goal of PASS is to ensure the safety
standards of leisure diving around Pattaya, making it more attractive to
visitors. But the risks of this project were both obvious and subtle. A
diver could get tangled in the netting and trapped, or a lift bag could
carry a diver to the surface too quickly, resulting in a lung expansion
injury.
The amount
of silt dislodged when the nets were lifted caused the visibility to degrade
to as little as one meter. In this reduced visibility, divers worked to
collect the netting.
The experience of the divers showed up early in the first
dive. Large segments of netting were lifted smoothly and safely, and nobody
was injured aside from a few expected nicks and cuts. What some divers did
not expect was the amount of silt dislodged when the nets were lifted. This
caused the visibility to degrade to as little as one meter. That underscored
the importance of the buddy system. Safe diving requires that each diver
have a buddy in sight in case of a problem. Reduced “viz” simply means
that divers must work closer together.
At the end of the first dive most of the heavy work was
finished. A section of netting over one hundred meters long was being hauled
onto the boat. This part of the job fell to the surface crew, and was not
without its own risks. As netting was pulled aboard, the volunteers had to
be mindful of marine organisms caught in the net. Some of these animals have
defensive spines or stingers that can cause pain or injury.
After a quick lunch and a required time interval on the
surface, the team of divers were ready for their second dive. The team just
needed to recover one more section of net and some small scraps that had
been cut away. By the time the final diver re-boarded the boat in the late
afternoon, the last of the netting had been hauled aboard. The amount of
netting recovered would have easily covered an entire football pitch. The
team estimated the weight to be near one tonne. It even gave the boat a list
to one side on its way back to Pattaya.
When the day had begun hours earlier, all agreed the project would take
more than one day. But the hard work and coordination allowed the job to be
done before the sun went down. PASS officials were more than pleased that
the volunteers took on the task to such a degree of professionalism. The
divers, most of which are shop owners or diving instructors, gave up their
busy schedules or free time to do a dirty and dangerous job for the benefit
of all. When the boat docked at the pier in South Pattaya near sunset, there
was no ceremony to greet them. There was only the mutual admiration and
pride these divers shared.
