Lights, Camera, Destruction
Today, I really wanted to reflect on my experience of snorkelling at Bamboo Island and how visiting Maya Bay, an area destroyed by blockbuster movie filming and the tourism that followed, has altered my perception and how I will experience snorkelling for the rest of our trip.
When staying at Phi Phi, we took a boat trip which allowed us to snorkel and experience some of the beautiful bays and beaches in this area. At one of the stops, Bamboo Island, we swam out from the shore and went into deep water where there was a lot of lovely coral, fish and most excitingly, sharks!! George and I were fortunate enough to swim behind a baby blacktip shark. It was such an incredible experience, and the shark was so small that, surprisingly, I wasn’t scared! It was an amazing snorkel and we spent probably over an hour in the water. My favourite fish, which we saw, was the moorish idol, but I also liked the Indo-Pacific Sergeant fish, yellow stripy ones which stayed close to the surface and swam up to your goggles. I felt very lucky that I had this experience, which was emphasised when we visited Maya Bay on the same trip.
Tourists visiting this beach have been a topic of controversy since major blockbuster films, including ‘The Beach’ (2000), were shot there, disrupting the natural landscape and environment. The filming of ‘The Beach’ specifically caused extensive damage due to the levelling of the sand and uprooting of bushes and shrubs, which were holding the coastal terrain together. Fox Studios said they would fix any damage they made, but it was significantly more than they expected, and local authorities sought 100 million Thai Baht in compensation. The damage to the bay became worse with the huge influx of tourists visiting by boats (anchor damage to the ocean floor) and leaving plastic waste. There was little to no wildlife living in the bay, and less than 8% of the reef remained. Considering the immense improvement in CGI and film production over the last decade, I don’t believe that ruining landscapes for the sake of entertainment is necessary. Film producers need to learn from the mistakes made when filming ‘The Beach’ and not repeat them in the future.
In 2018, the bay was closed to the public until 2022 in order to restore the ecosystems, rebuild the coral and bring back the wildlife that lived there. 30,000 pieces of coral were replanted by a team of marine experts, and it is said that without the transplanting process, it would have taken 30-50 years for the coral to regrow on its own. Additionally, animals that used to inhabit the bay, including blacktip sharks and clownfish, returned after 3 months of the bay being closed. This was huge for the ecosystem, and now, tourists are not allowed to swim in the bay to preserve and protect the coral and the wildlife.
Having experienced the beauty of the reefs and sealife at Bamboo Island and other locations on the trip, whilst learning about the impact that Hollywood movies have had on the ecosystems here, I feel a huge sense of gratitude to be able to have snorkelled in places that have been protected and preserved. Boat trips here have been strict regarding where they take you to for swimming and are very clear about what is allowed, what should be avoided and how you can protect the coral. Things like not touching coral or the sea floor with your hands or feet, anchoring boats away from the coral, and not leaving rubbish or plastics on beaches. These methods can help to protect the natural environment and prevent the coral from being damaged or destroyed, eliminating the habitat of sea life. The fish, sharks and turtles depend on the reef for their survival, so we must do as much as we can to protect it.
Snorkelling gave me a huge amount of gratitude for the experience that I had and the things I was able to see. Additionally, learning about the effects that filming movies in these areas can have made me very aware of the things that people can do individually to help protect the environment so that the sealife can continue to thrive, and I can be lucky enough to see it. Make sure to go on boat trips where the locations are recommended, follow instructions from professionals and take everything back with you! Snorkelling can be enjoyed and the sea life can be protected simultaneously if we do the right things.
Thank you for reading! If you have any thoughts about this topic, I would love to know. Put them in the comments below.
