Divers have an especially close relationship with the sea. Immersed in her waters, we’re more aware than most of the dangers and recognize that she can be a cruel and capricious mistress as well as a beautiful friend.
The tsunami was a terrible tragedy inflicted upon coastal com-munities and their guests. We extend sympathies and commiserations to all those affected. It was particularly devastating at Khao Lak and Koh Phi Phi, two tourist destinations largely driven by the dive industry. Scuba-related businesses will also play a significant role in the rebuilding of lives and livelihood. To this end, an accurate post-tsunami assessment of marine resources was necessary.

Marine resources
(as of 1 February 2005)
An initial assessment was conducted by dive operators from the Dive Operators Club of Thailand in the first two weeks of 2005. Experienced local divemasters estimated the damage to established recreational dive sites. The areas surveyed lie in the world-renowned Surin-Similan archipelago and in the south of Phang Nga Bay, those sites closest to Phuket.
The survey teams were day-in, day-out familiar with the sites. The drawback was that the methodology was neither standardized nor rigorous; and the baselines, being based only on memory, were open to variation and interpretation. A broad picture nevertheless emerged:
* Reef damage is considerably less than was initially reported, and even less than might have been expected, given the extent of coastal damage.
* As it was on land, significant damage is extremely localized.
* Fish stocks appear intact. In fact, they’re probably benefitting from reduced fishing effort.
* Exposed shallow fringing reefs suffered, as one might expect.
* Coral with delicate and intricate structures, for example gorgonian fans, were most susceptible to damage. The flexibility of some soft corals appears to have given them a survival advantage.
* Damage otherwise followed no obviously discernable pattern, often being counter-intuitive. The north end of the Similans saw damage, for instance, despite the fact the waves came from the southwest.
* Sites around Surin and Similan Island Nine — Breakfast Bend, Snapper Alley and Hideaway — suffered most of the serious damage.
* Several of the heavily damaged sites— notably Koh Tachai and North Point on Similan Nine — are still considered diveable, with abundant fish life.
* Famous sites such as Shark Point, Richelieu Rock, Hin Daeng and Fantasea Reef were untouched.
* The reefs in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago appear to have survived completely unscathed. The massive coral structures of the Burma Banks are still the region’s outstanding coral attraction.
* There’s no need whatsoever to cancel bookings. Phuket remains an exceptional dive destination. And enormous wealth of natural beauty is still here to see. And, if visiting divers want to see it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the underwater effects of a major natural phenomenon.
* There has never been a better time in recent history to come for a clear, calm and uncluttered view of these world-class attractions.

Survey results
(70 Thai dive sites commonly visited from Phuket).
Damage was divided into three categories according to the relative percentage of damaged coral cover.

Slight (0-33%)
Moderate (34-66%)
Heavy (67-100%)
A more complete analysis of the effect of the tsunami on marine resources was coordinated by the Department of Coastal and Marine Resources. It was conducted using a standardized methodology by Thai universities in possession of baseline data. It used a different grading system, and had a broader focus than just recognized dive sites, but the results are very similar.


Widely reported initial fears of reef devastation in Thailand were ungrounded.
Topography and relative exposure appear to be the significant local variables, although wave amplification and negation through constructive/destructive interference may well have had the greatest influence on site-specific impact.
Interestingly, of the few severely damaged sites, several are at depth. There’s an aggregation of rubble at the base of one seamount that is otherwise unscathed, for example. This suggests potential damage along the seabed in unsurveyable places. Some unusual deep-water fish were found washed up in Phuket (e.g. chimeras and fangtooths).
The nature of the damage has reinforced the opinion that we know remarkably little about the sea upon which life on earth depends, and we join in calls for greater public awareness and research budgets.
Fish and other life appears generally unscathed, apart from benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms, which initially disappeared along with the fine sand, exposing rubble. Some sites thus look worse than they are. This phenomenon will probably not last much beyond April, when the calm seas of the dry season finish.
Although natural concerns remain about the smothering effect of displaced sediment and physical damage upon reefs and other fish nursery grounds, this writer feels these to be misplaced. Those of us who have dived on tsunami-hit reefs before, such as at Maumere, on the Indonesian island of Flores, know that reefs are fully capable of taking such natural events as this in stride.
Most reefs are capable of withstanding the force of the wave, and where they aren’t, the reef rebounds in remarkably quick time, with no noticeable detrimental effect upon fish stocks. Generally, in fact, the tsunami event may prove a positive factor for the health of the reef as a whole, just as forest fires, by allowing a spurt of fresh growth, play an important role in reinvigorating the forest ecosystem.
This is in contrast to the damage that occurs from pollution, global warming, habitat destruction, destructive fishing practices, and overfishing: We remind everyone that these insidious dangers are the real issues, if we are to maintain the health of the reef ecosystems we love.

It’s rare in this life that one has the possibility to act with hindsight. Surely the best memorial for all the lives lost and damage done is to make something positive come of it. Use the opportunity to get things right the second time around, to learn from past mistakes, to put in place better coordinated, more sustainable, effective and transparent planning and management of natural resources, both in extractive industries (e.g. fishing) and in non-extractive exploitation (e.g. tourism). This will take some institutional change. It will be difficult, yet it should be done, and the opportunity is upon us. We owe it to their memory of those we have lost.