Cairns is known around the world as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the most famous dive spot on earth. Cairns will become even more popular with divers following the closure of significant dive sites in Thailand
Thailand's loss is Great Barrier Reef's gain
THAILAND is inadvertently handing the Great Barrier Reef diving industry a helping hand by closing seven of its best reefs.
The popular dive and snorkelling spots will be closed to tourists to let them rejuvenate after rising sea temperatures caused severe damage to the coral reefs.
But dive experts in Cairns say it could have a positive spin-off for tourism here.
Thailand’s reefs and cheap diving were a major drawcard for tourists who will now be forced to look elsewhere.
Pro Dive spokesman Andrew Wood said any impact would depend on what reefs had been closed and for how long, but if tourist hotspots were among them it could boost the Far Northern dive industry.
Tourists would have to look elsewhere for dive courses and it could mean more people doing courses in the Great Barrier Reef, he said.
Last week, 18 dive spots in seven marine parks in the Andaman Sea were closed on the orders of the Thai National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
Among them are popular Similan and Surin islands and Phi Phi.
The sites would remain off-limits to divers until the reefs had recovered and other areas would have restricted access, a spokesman said.
Authorities said excessive human activity near the reefs and unusually warm seas had led to widespread bleaching. Bleaching is where the warm waters forces coral to shred algae; giving it a white appearance.
Coral need algae for nourishment and can starve without it.
A study by Australia’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in October said reefs in South-East Asia and the Indian Ocean were dying from the worst bleaching in a decade.
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