Coral Reefs of Thailand: Diving Vacation and Research Expedition

Divers are a special breed of people. They enjoy the challenges and freedoms offered by underwater exploration. If you are a diver, and are interested in a unique diving vacation opportunity, then you need to look into the Coral Reefs of Thailand expedition offered by Earthwatch. This expedition will take you to the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea in Thailand, to explore, study and document amazing coral ecosystems.

The Coral Reefs of Thailand

The coral reefs of Thailand are as beautiful as they are unique. However, overfishing and human activity are threatening the sustainability of the coral ecosystems. Because of this, researchers Kim Obermeyer and Dr. Georg Heiss, are studying these coral reefs to learn more about how they are responding to human activity, and how they are recovering from the 2004 mega-tsunami. The information gathered by this research project is currently being used by government agencies, local communities and other researchers to develop more efficient reef management systems.

The Expedition

If you are a diver and want to lend your help to this project, then you are in for ten days of diving adventure. Dive teams are slated for four different expeditions a year and snorkel teams are slated for four expeditions as well. Dive teams will work during January, February, March and June, and snorkel teams will work January, February, November and December.

The activities that you will be involved in during your expedition will include: diving or snorkeling, documenting data on survey sheets, documenting coral diversity, and counting indicator species like giant clams, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and reef lobsters. During your free time, you will be able to explore Thailand at your leisure. Some popular recreation day activities including: elephant adventures, exploration of Buddhist temples and rainforest treks.

Joining the Team