Koh Tao: My Bicycle and Dives

My bicycle squeeks in a mesmorizing rhythm as I ride. The chipped paint and worn seat sing a song of years of use and abuse as a rental bike. Its chain skips and dances as I ride over bumps and hills. The gears are just for looks; everything is rusted in place. Luckily the bike never goes fast enough to need solid brakes. I'm sure it hasn't seen a proper tune up in its life, poor soul. It's seen better days for sure. But these days are mine and I'll make them count.

*****

 

The past few days have swept by like a raging tide. Thankfully, I've been underwater mostly, exploring the dive sites around Koh Tao and filming. On land, I've been editing footage and getting accustomed to the routine of things on the island. Topside my anchor points are Oceans Below, Scuba Junction, and Kookkai... and 7-Eleven. I'm usually withing shouting distance of any one of those places- or diving.

 

Thanks to Oceans Below and Scuba Junction, I am filming and edited my diving experience on Koh Tao. Here are my first two days diving:

 

April 5 - Aow Leuk / Hin Ngam

 

 

April 4 - Mango Bay / Twins:

 

Thailand: Day 30

2/20/12 Monday, Adang, Tarutao National Park, Thailand

When it rains, it pours, even in paradise. As I rub the sleep from my eyes and emerge from my tent, I vividly recall the rain's percussive 'lullaby' beating down on my tent in concert with rumbling thunder and bursts of lightning throughout the night. This morning, however, is calm and serene; the only hint of yesterday's deluge are incredible clouds that linger lazily in the pre-dawn sky. The moon is a sliver of white, a faint smile. I watch as it dims with every step I take down the beach. I keep my eyes open, intent on the brightening skyline and highlighted clouds. There is no better way to start a day than with a simple miracle.

*****

Adang is one of the many islands within Tarutao National Park in Thailand. It houses a ranger station, a large camping area, a few bungalows, restrooms with running water, and a small restaurant which feeds the staff and the handful of tourists that venture off the beaten path. The island has a breathtaking nature trail up to the top of Chado Cliff and a fresh water falls known as "Pirate Waterfall" a nod to the days when real pirates ravaged the Straits of Malacca. While Adang has much to offer in terms of natural beauty and environmental attractions, it lacks the tropical resort appeal that screams Ko Lipe in every tourist brochure.

The Wildlands group set up camp on Adang's southeastern shore. Everyone went about appraising the local real estate. Ant highways were investigated, neighbors considered, defenses against monkeys implemented, and access to amenities were all scrutinized in the search for the perfect spot. I decided to pitch my tent facing the ocean beneath a tall Casuarina, a sea "pine" that's not really a pine at all.

The green "pines" are actually stems with minute leaves which eventually dry out, turn brown, and blanket the ground below. The Casuarina also produces a hard, spiked seed, about the size of a blueberry, which can float in the ocean and will germinate at the surf line. They'd easily poke a hole through my tent. It took me a good long while to clear a space for my tent and even out the sand with a stick, but after all was said and done, I knew I had a little piece of paradise.

Today, the Wildlands group went out to three sites, Southwest Ko Yang, the "nature trail" off of Had Sai Khao on Ko Rawi, and North Ko Yang. Each site had something unique to offer. Both sides of Ko Yang featured soft and hard corals, as well as a number of sponges, algae and other sessile organisms. Reef fish darted in and out of crevices as I dove down to investigate, holding each breath longer than the last. As I peered into each and every nook and cranny, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at all the underwater animals breathing water.

The Rawi's "nature trail" was a particularly interesting site because an attempt was made to forge a path for snorkelers to follow. Numbered plates were drilled into the rock to identify the route to follow, but storms have altered the substrate and it wasn't well maintained. I started from the beginning and made it to the end, but deviated from the actual route significantly. A flowerfish (Pearsonothuria graeffe) crept along the sand in search of food, 'nemos' popped in and out of anemones, and a giant moray smiled as cleaner wrasse swam in and out of its gills- there was no way I could stick to a set path in such a fluid world.

While I may have been swimming with the fail whale during my journey roughly along the nature trail, I could see its value if properly maintained. The underwater world can be daunting, especially to people who are not confident swimmers or who have never explored a reef. The idea of a path with set points and relevant information could be a good place to start for first time snorkelers or people unfamiliar with local waters. It would also localize human impacts thereby reducing disturbances and negative externalities from highly utilized reefs. It would also be interesting to compare such "nature trails" with sites that have little or no human disturbances. Needless to say, while I may not have followed the route, I appreciated it for what its potential.

I was lucky to have been able to snorkel on Rawi as the site was actually closed to snorkelers due to the extensive bleaching in 2010. Thankfully, due to our research endeavors, park rangers allowed us to explore the reefs at our leisure. While there was definitely evidence of bleaching and storm damage, there was a good amount of regenerating coral and a higher diversity of hard corals than I had expected from the grim warnings. In fact, corals may not be given enough credit for their resilience, but it is clear human impacts should be curtailed to ensure a that these reef ecosystems have a future.

Thailand: Day 14

Surin → Kari Buri

The powder fine sand shimmers in the moonlight and trickles between my toes as I trace designs with my feet. I sit on the southwest shore of Surin Nua, serenaded by the rhythmic pulse of the sea as it greets the shore while a cool breeze brings tidings of a new day. Still. Silent. Calm. The sun bursts out of the ocean as a glowing red beacon lighting up the sky in one brilliant instant. Good morning sunshine, good morning Surin.

*****

The past 2 weeks in Thailand have been an extraordinary experience, one that I'll have to catch up on in the future... I've spent the last 6 days in Thailand's Mu Ko Surin National Park with Wildlands Studies, camping on the beach, conducting coral surveys, and enjoying the company of 17 incredible individuals. The park is a good hour from the mainland by speedboat, just far enough from civilization to attract it. Surin is a destination spot for divers and snorkelers. Both Thai and international tourists arrive on Surin's shores daily to experience its unique underwater world.

However, paradise is not without its own troubles. In 1998, a global rise in ocean temperatures facilitated a worldwide coral bleaching event which affected Surin's reefs, and more recently a second more devastating bleaching occurred in 2010. It has been an interesting and inspiring experience to survey and snorkel sites so recently destroyed.

There is evidence of rejuvenation and coral recruitment in spite of all the environmental stress. Clearly, the Acroporidae family of corals was most impacted from bleaching here, as vast forests of dead branching Acropora littered the substrate of every site- and yet in the midst of all the rubble, numerous Acropora recruits, small "baby" corals were observed. Heights varied but the average was about 3 cm, which ages these recruits at about a year old. Coral recovery must have begun very quickly after water temperatures subsided. Another positive observation of Surin's coral reefs has been the presence of a diverse and seemingly healthy population of reef fishes and invertebrates, as well as a few turtle sightings and black tip reef sharks.

The resilience of the coral reef ecosystem is remarkable, but celebrations must be put on hold as reef health is impacted by an overwhelming number of factors. Ocean temperatures, human impacts, acidification, natural disasters... the list is long and varied. I only hope that as we continue to learn more about this critical environment, the knowledge gained will help to mitigate human impact while providing insight into other stressors.

*****

The Wildlands team is heading to the mainland today, leaving Surin behind and beginning our trek south to Trong. It'll be 4 days until we get back into the ocean- I miss it already.