By Jamie Phillips
From metal straws to dive site clean ups Assava Dive Resort is doing our part to keep Koh Tao clean.
Assava Dive Resort has been working continuously to build our eco programs since 2007 when we did our first underwater and shore clean up dive. The ‘dive against debris’ led to the adoption of the dive site Lighthouse Bay in 2013 in partnership with Project AWARE Asia Pacific. The Lighthouse Bay adoption involves a commitment to organizing free dives at the site once a month where divers collect man made items found on the reef. Student divers can also receive a PADI AWARE certification card for a 10 dollar fee which is donated to shark conservation and the collection of marine debris.
The most recent clean up occurred on March 1st 2018 in support of the Save Koh Tao festival, where divers collected a total of 286 kilograms of debris from the dive site and shore. Participants were shocked at the number of plastic water bottles, tires, and fishing line brought back to the boat. The most surprising collection, however, was the 96 flip flops found. At the end of the day there was so much trash collected that some of the divers couldn’t fit on the first speedboat sent to bring them back to shore and had to wait for a second one to ferry them back.
Assava’s eco programs don’t end with clean ups, and include small steps to help prevent the debris from occurring in the first place. In October of 2017 we replaced all plastic straws with metal ones in our restaurant The Cove. This small initiative helps to reduce single use plastics at the resort. The Cove furthered this initiative by offering a reusable take away container with breakfast meals, allowing early morning divers to skip the disposable plastic containers. The signature ‘Divers Take Out’ includes a cheese and tomato toasty, fruit salad, and orange juice, and is a house favourite.
Assava’s most recent initiative was a fundraiser barbeque which raised 250 Australian dollars for Project AWARE Asia Pacific, and 500 US dollars for Crystal Divers Koh Tao to create the newest addition to Koh Tao’s local artificial reef Junkyard. Artificial reefs are becoming increasingly important with the threats facing our ocean. Submerged man made structures allow a base for coral to grow upon, and have the bonus effect of creating a new environment for divers to explore.
What’s next for Assava Dive Resort? Currently the resort is undergoing a makeover, and eco improvements are at the forefront of the planning, with the goal of making Assava carbon neutral. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TripAdvisor, to check on our progress.
