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March activities for the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program, including some amazing footage of the Black TIp Reef Sharks in Tien Og Bay

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Tien Og bay is an ecologically important area supporting a wide variety of fish life, and the largest known schools of Black Tip Reef Sharks around Koh Tao. The area is also economically important and popular for snorkeling and other marine based tourism activities. Although historically abundant and diverse, the area has been subjected to large natural disturbance events and chronic anthropogenic stresses. Currently it is one of the more degraded reef areas surveyed around Koh Tao, with hard corals making up and average of only 19.8% of the substrate (and as little as 3.5%, at the 3m line). Coral competing macro-algae made up as much as 47% of the total substrate cover, the highest values ever recorded in 7 years of surveys around the island. The abundance of macro-algae and the lack of solid … <a href="http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/publications-student-papers/baseline-study-tien-og-bay-koh-tao-2014/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

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Conservation diving is one of the most interesting and rewarding types of scuba diving there is. It is a way to positively interact with and preserve the environment that, as divers, we feel a strong connection with. However, despite the marketing out there, it takes a lot more than recycling and not kicking corals to be a conservation diver. Many certification agencies and dive schools today are offering ‘eco-courses,’ but usually these programs add up to little more than some dives perfecting buoyancy, doing an underwater clean-up, and having an hours lecture on coral reef ecosystems. Although these are positive things, really this should be seen as the minimum for even being allowed to dive in a coral reef, not something that makes you an ‘eco-warrior.’   Being a conservation diver means that you receive scientifically … <a href="http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/articles/conservation-diving/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>

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A New Artificial Reef and Alternative Dive Site for Koh Tao. Donated by the DMCR in 2013. http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/koh-tao-news/artifical-reef-koh-tao/

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A very fluorescent Long Spined Black Sea Urchin at Shark Island, Koh Tao, 2014. http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/marine-conservation-thailand/learning-resources/marine-invertebrates-2/

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Hawksbill Sea Turtle at Shark Island, Koh Tao, 2014 http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/articles/time-lose-thousands-sea-turtles-dying/

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The last several weeks we have been working on an artificial reef project that is not only one of the biggest on the island, but also one of the more fun ones we have ever built. The location of this project is in Hin Ngam, using the 1.5 m square block frames donated to the island by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in 2013. Like earlier in the year at Twins, we are using liftbags to get the 1 ton blocks buoyant, walking them into place, and stacking them up into the final design.  Unlike at Twins, we have not been joined by many other dive schools for this project, possibly due to it being so busy on Koh Tao at the moment.   For the first 49 blocks, the NHRCP team worked alone to assemble the site, sometimes moving blocks over 150 meters, as the barge putting them down had drifted in the waves and wind. We … Continue reading →

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Check out our latest newsletter to see what the Reef Conservation Team on Koh Tao has been up to the last few months.

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Harlequin Sweetlips of Koh Tao Find more at: http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/marine-conservation-thailand/learning-resources/coral-reef-fish/

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On their own, each tiny individual would accomplish nothing. But by working together they can create one of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet, home to millions of species. What could we accomplish if we all set aside our differences and worked together?

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A recent report by the BBC News was that 900 sea turtles had washed up dead on the shores of Southern India. This coming after over 1,100 turtles died in the same area over the month of January. According to the report, the Olive Ridley turtles were killed by illegal trawling fisherman who were not using specialized equipment to prevent drawing of turtles (known as Turtle Excluding Devices, or TEDs). The event is horrific, and I am sure most will be quick to place all of the blame on irresponsible fisherman. But there is much more to this story than that.   Turtle Exclusion Devices were invented in the 1970’s, and became widely used over the 1980’s in many places around the world. In fact, even in India the equipment has been required since 1996. Essentially a TED is a crate over the mouth of the trawling net … Continue reading →

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  By Rahul M On the 21st of February, 2014, the NHRCP team surveyed an area on the western side of the island for a suitable site to install a new mooring line, but ended up involved in a large underwater clean-up. A short while into the dive, we came to a ring of net, at least 50 meters in length and over 2 meters high in places, that had drifted in from deeper water and had finally come to a stop after being caught on pockets of branching coral at the edge of the reef. Now, I must mention that, nets drifting in and being caught on pinnacles and reefs is not a novel event but it is something that demands attention in the rare situation that it does happen.   Often older nets that have settled and become a part of the substrate are left alone, especially those made of natural fibers as opposed to synthetic polymers. These … Continue reading →

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Recently, all of the businesses under New Heaven pledged with Fin Free Thailand to ensure that shark products are never sold here, and that we actively campaign for the protection of sharks. We are proud to join with other businesses and resorts across Thailand in this campaign, which is being locally led by the FREELAND Foundation, Love Wildlife Foundation, and Change.org Thailand.     Under this pledge we affirm that we will never sell any shark related products at New Heaven Dive School, Baan Talay Resort, New Heaven Resort, and Koppee Bakery. Additionally, all of those locations will also actively promote to consumers and guests about shark awareness and the environmental costs of shark fishing and trade.   But it doesn’t end there for us, through the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program we are also undertaking the … Continue reading →

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A few times of year, the Conservation Team at New Heaven gets much bigger for a few days as we host school and group trips in our program for some fun and rewarding environmental projects. This last week we had the great pleasure of being host to a group of high school students from the International School of Bangkok (ISB) who came on a trip to Koh Tao with the Love Wildlife Organization. The students spent 4 days with the NHRCP learning about marine ecology and protection and joining on some of our reef restoration projects.   On the first day we treated the students to a sea turtle release, following a talk about the basics of marine ecology. Three of our baby turtles were put into the sea that day, and as a bonus for all of us, 2 of them hung out around the snorkelers in the water before swimming of to … Continue reading →

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Biorocks, or mineral accretion devices, are artificial reefs that use low-voltage electricity to actually change the conditions in which corals are growing. Most coral reef restoration techniques focus on only the structure of the reef or transplanting corals, or a combination of the two. Mineral accretion devices have the added benefit of increasing coral growth rates, and allowing corals to survive and grow even when conditions are poor. Click here to find out more about our use of this technology.  In 2008, 17 local dive centers and the local community joined together to raise 1 million baht and construct Thailandâ€'s largest Biorock structure, the Hin Fai Site. The site provides new areas for the growth of corals, fish, and related reef organisms, as well as providing an alternative dive site to reduce … Continue reading →

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An incredible 2 years of coral growth at the Hin Fai Birock site on Koh Tao, Thailand.

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Some words of encouragement and a kiss for good luck. Last week we released 4 of the Green Sea Turtles from our nursery program into the sea. They arrived with infections and injuries in June, but over the 8 months under our care they have grown  healthy and strong. http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/articles/sea-turtle-success-story/