Divers clear marine trash to protect new Phuket reef

PHUKET: More than 100 volunteer divers yesterday recovered more than 200 kilograms of trash from the waters off Nai Yang Beach in an underwater cleanup operation aimed at protecting a new reef system there.

The divers hail from Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang, explained Monrudee Gettuphan, director of Phuket International Airport.

“Yesterday, the divers cleaned the area in front of the Sirinath National Park main office,” she said. “About 200kg of rubbish were recovered; most of it was pieces of broken fishing nets.”

Today, the divers will focus on the area off the north end of the beach, Ms Monrudee told the Phuket Gazette.

“The two-day cleanup is a joint project organized by Airports of Thailand (AoT) staff at Phuket International Airport and officers at Sirinath National Park,” Ms Monrudee explained.

“The main purpose of this project is to clean up the sea and to help newborn corals in the area to grow.”

Park officers recently discovered a young reef system off Nai Yang Beach and installed floating markers to protect the area (story here).

“Officers at Sirinath National Park have also reported that the diversity of marine life in the area is starting to improve,” Ms Monrudee noted.

“We want to do our part in making sure the marine environment is kept clean to help maintain this improvement in marine life in Phuket, that is why we at Phuket Airport are worried about waste and rubbish in the sea.

“This can impede the growth of the corals and other marine animals.”

— Kongleaphy Keam