Coral Reef Bleaching Event
Thailand, 2010

   
(Coral reefs after bleaching 17-26 June, 2010)

Beginning in mid May the waters along the northern coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea began to drastically rise in temperature. According to one report from a dive operator in the Similan Islands the normal sea surface temperatures of 85 to 87^o F. (29-30^o C.) rapidly rose to 96^o F. (36 C.) in the course of three days! During the time the photos on this page were taken the water temperature was 87-89^o F. (31-32 C.). The rise in temperature coincided with the annual shift in monsoon seasons from the Gulf of Thailand to the Andaman coast. The warm waters progressed to the south with corals around Phuket showing signs of bleaching at the beginning of June. One of the first scientific overviews of this years event in Thailand is available HERE (PDF).

(A large barrel sponge sits among various bleached coral species)

What is coral bleaching? Simply, it is a response by corals to stress. In this case, thermal stress from a rise of 1 to 1.5 degrees C. This is enough to cause the symbiotic algae component of zooxanthellate corals to be expelled. Once the golden brown pigment of the algae is gone the coral host appears white or brightly colored from natural pigments that are mostly obscured when the algae are present. The remaining coral host is left to survive without its symbiotic partner. Some corals can recover while others do not.

(100's of Green Chromis school over a dead Acropora thicket covered with brown filamentous algae)

Below are a number of examples of various hard and soft corals which have undergone bleaching. Fortunately, AquaTouch had the opportunity to dive these same coral reefs in August, 2007 (see some of the photos HERE). A few direct comparisons are given below of the same coral habitats from before the bleaching and now.

Hard Corals

Pocillopora sp.

Acropora sp.

 
 

Diploria sp. appear resistant to bleaching

Similar for this deep water Trachyphyllia sp.

Soft Corals

Ctenocella sp. were resistant to bleaching

But most Junceella sp. did bleach

Invertebrates

Fish

If You Go:

      Direct flights to Phuket are available from many Asian cities and Australia. From the USA, a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok is 16 hours, then another 1.5 hours from Bangkok to Phuket by air.  Local currency is the Thai Baht, 30 Baht is roughly the equivalent of $1.00 US. Monsoon season in the Gulf of Thailand runs generally November through May, then shifts to the Andaman Sea / Indian Ocean side June to October. Live aboard options are available through many dive companies to the Similan Islands and beyond during the November-May non-monsoon season.

     There are many dive operations based in Phuket that offer day trips. The boats are large and during high season they can accommodate more than 30 divers. It will generally take these boats 1 to 2+ hours to get to most dive sites. Most dive boats depart from Chalong Pier, which can be rather busy in the mornings. Although you can book day trips directly through dive companies, it is more common to use a dive booking company in Thailand. The advantage is that you can select your dive sites in advance to suit your preferences (i.e wrecks, macro, introductory, advanced diving, etc...). We highly recommend Sea World Dive Team located in Phuket. They have a great reputation, professional demeanor, and provide outstanding customer service. Owner Philippe Entremont and his staff go out of their way to meet the needs of their customers. If you see Philippe, mention AquaTouch in Phoenix says hello!