Maya Bay Protected by Island Cliffs Koh Phi Phi Ley
During the last few months of 1998 there was extraordinarily bad press about "The Beach". 20th Century Fox began preparation for shooting the film at Koh Phi Phi Ley in November. These preparations included removal of approximately three metric tons of trash, and rumor had it, they had wrought devastating, permanent changes to the great crescent of beach inside Maya Cove. Rumors were also rampant that they had built a wharf, sunk piers, destroyed coral and the scenic beauty of Loh Samah, the lovely snorkeling spot and pristine, symmetrical island that is situated at the other side of Koh Phi Phi Ley.
I began diving the Phi Phi Islands fifteen years ago. The beaches of both islands were then rich in shells, and the water was a great aquarium, filled with a breathtaking array of corals and fish. There were few tourists; two sets of bungalows-- with the only restaurants--graced the isthmus at Koh Phi Phi Don; there were no hotels, honky-tonks, T-shirt and jewelry shops, not even a wharf. Only occasionally did a few tourists in a long-tail boat bother to seek out Phi Phi LeyĖs hidden coves, secret passages and "Viking" cave, or dive its crystalline waters. I was thunderstruck by the beauty of Maya Cove. Many times I walked the winding trail across the beach, through the narrowing canyon to Loh Samah Bay, slipped down through the hole in the rock into the water and snorkeled there. I thought then and still believe it to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Over these years I have watched the corals damaged, the overfishing and the wear and tear that resulted from a tremendous increase in visitors. As a result of that shared concern, Anne Miller and I became National Coordinators for Reef Check, a program to monitor the health of coral reefs world-wide. Maya Cove and Loh Samah are two of the areas we monitor closely.
I was therefore dismayed when I began hearing that they were tearing the heart out of the island. In early December, I had a chance to see for myself. No work had been done at that time in Loh Samah, but considerable alterations had occurred on the beach in Maya Cove. All of the trash and debris were gone! Not just on the beach, but in the water, too. A boardwalk trail had been constructed and about one-fourth of the foliage removed. All of the bigger shrubs, the figs and wild hibiscus were still there. Tight lines along the boardwalk bore signs to stay on the walk and out of the brush. Further back, there was a wooden platform and stairs to a small deck at the hole in the rock. There were chemical toilets off to one side. There was not a baggie or a cigarette butt anywhere. All of the construction had been cleverly done so that it was completely removable. There would not be a nail hole or strap mark on a tree. All of the driftwood that had been far back of the beach was still there. I thought the area behind the beach looked better than it had in years. Brush and grasses that had been removed were being cared for in a nursery on the island.
During the last days of January, there were more stories of coral damage, sand removal and, most awful, the planting of coconut palms. My partner, Anne and I went back. A large barge was anchored in Loh Samah. More than half a dozen lines led off in all directions to anchors. Two large catamarans were tied up alongside. The barge was connected by a floating, wooden walkway to a wooden deck on shore which led through the rocks to the deck I had seen before. Anne and I checked every anchor. Each one was buried in the sand. None of the ropes touched any coral. No coral appeared to have been damaged in any way. In fact, the coral looked a bit healthier than it did in December. I inquired and was told that the catamarans, which came from Malaysia, did not pump any sewage into the waterÛall of it was retained, unlike the local boats. A large school of fry hung under the barge, enjoying its shadowy protection. The water was full of stinging strings of "jelly-fish", the worst infestation I have ever seen. (It is bad all along the coast to Ranong.) New mooring buoys with sand anchors had also replaced some that had been tied around coral heads. I walked to the beach. The decks and stairs were all set above the landscape so as not to crush it. Lines and signs prevented access to the surrounding landscape. The deck had been expanded to approximately seven meters square. Again, the construction was exemplary by any standard. The area behind the beach was otherwise as I had seen it in December. The beach itself now had a forest of 60 coconut palms planted in the sand. Each was still in its burlap sack, watered by buried plastic lines, and could be easily removed. No new brush had been removed. Two areas of access from Maya Cove to this area had been widened, the sand pushed to one side, easily replaced. I wandered the waterĖs edge, then back along the trail, double-checking my observations, wondering about the demonstrations in Bangkok, and why "The Beach" was the target of all this environmental ire.
I was sure that none of those demonstrators had seen Koh Phi Phi Ley. Who put on this show? Who scripted it? If they were concerned enough to put together a coalition of environmental groups, why arenĖt they complaining about the trawlers, the bombing of coral reefs in the Similans, the nets that cover the shallow corals there, the rape of the rocks off Koh Phi Phi Don where all of the baby black-tipped sharks have been taken to be served up in local restaurants? Why are they not protesting the dumping by boats of sewage that is destroying the water quality and diving of both islands?
Seek the truth. Go look for yourself.
Thailand (Sept-April): Phone (66-76) 383-105/Fax (66-76) 383-106
U.S. (May-August): Phone (1-707) 443-1755/Fax (1-707)444-8574
