A school of about 30 dolphins was seen by visitors on October, 30 some six or seven nautical miles offshore. Bottlenose dolphins are now back to the waters of Similan Islands and hunting for food as food is plentiful there again thanks to the closure of the park for rehabilitation. Dolphins are just one of the species making their way back to the park after its ecology improved.
The waters of the park and their marine inhabitants suffer greatly from overtourism and are also highly sensitive to contamination from human disease and marine debris. On May, 16, 2019 the Department of National Parks of Thailand (DNP) closed the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province for the annual five months rehabilitation. Last year, the authorities limited the number of tourists allowed to visit the islands daily to 3,850 to save fragile marine environment from destruction. Overnight stays on the islands were also prohibited. To prevent possible violations, all accommodations on the islands were demilished.
On October, 15, 2019 the Similan Islands reopened for the high season. Thailand's prime destination for diving and snorkelling, the Similan Islands were ranked by National Geographic Society as “One of the Top 10 dive destinations to visit in the World”.
Bottlenose Dolphins Make Their Appearance Near Similan Islands
News in Asia
Similan Islands, an archipelago in the Andaman Sea and Thailand's popular marine national park, welcomes visitors with schools of dolphins after reopening.