Clean Up Patong Beach 15-01-2005	Clean Up Patong Beach 15-01-2005
CleanUp Patong Beach 15-01-2005	CleanUp KataBeach 16-01-2005
Clean Up KataNoi Beach 22-01-2005	CleanUp KataNoi Beach 22-01-2005
CleanUp KataNoi 29-01-2005	CleanUp KataNoi 29-01-2005
Clean Up Patong Beach Feb 2005	Clean Up Patong Beach Feb 2005
Clean Up Patong Beach Feb 2005	Clean Up Patong Beach March 2005

In the wake of the Asian tsunami the Dive Operators Club of Thailand (DOCT) Phuket chapter arranged a series of clean-up dives at popular resorts along the west coast of Phuket and at the island of Racha Yai. A generous grant from Project AWARE Asia Pacific was invaluable in making this project possible. Voluntary underwater clean-ups have been a regular part of the DOCT's work for some years, so after the tsunami it was only natural for us to get a clean-up program underway as soon as possible.

On 15th January we tackled 2 of the areas worst hit by the tsunami, Bungalow Bay on Racha Yai and Patong Beach in Phuket. Over the following weeks dives were made at Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach and Patong Beach, bringing the program to a total of 12 events.

A fine turnout of volunteers participated. Participants were not just limited to the Phuket dive community. Divers from Bangkok and further afield joined in, and the events made a fulfilling excursion for many recreational divers who were here supporting the Thai economy at this difficult time. More than 60 divers were present at one of the Kata Noi dives. Some of the dives were supported by liveaboard and day-trip boats operated by the DOCT members. Longtail boats were also busy at all the locations ferrying divers to the entry point and bringing retrieved items back to shore. Teams were on hand on the beach to sort through the items and salvage whatever possible for recycling.

As usual on 26th December a huge number of beach umbrellas had been set up on these popular tourists’ beaches, so not surprisingly these were one of the most common items retrieved. Metals such as the steel spokes were salvaged for recycling. Because so many hotels, bars and shops are close to the beach an enormous quantity of tables, chairs, crockery, kitchenware and bottled drinks were washed out to sea. Many of these settled in the 0 - 15m depth ranges covered by our underwater searches and were brought ashore by our recovery teams. Fishing nets and fishing line, a hazard to marine life, were also lifted. Besides these, a myriad of other unusual items were discovered including TV's, childrens' toys, a fax machine and a golf club.

The clean-up program was given an interesting twist on 15th January when the renowned Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu joined the clean-up dive at Patong Beach. This remarkable man was born in Vietnam. As a child during the Vietnam war 70% of his body was burned with Napalm. He survived and became a Buddhist monk at 13. He joined the Barefoot World Peace Walk with the Dalai Lama, covering over 9.000 kilometers through 19 countries in 3 years. At the Sydney Olympics he released 3000 doves. He was on board one of the participating liveaboard boats to pray and to bless divers as they entered the water.

The money donated by Project AWARE was spent mainly spent in the following areas: vehicle rental, longtail boat rental, fuel, meals and tank filling. A short movie of the clean-up dive held at Kata Noi on 29th January can be seen at http://www.bubblevision.com/movie-gallery.htm

Further clean-up dives are planned for later in the year including one on 1st November at Patong Beach.