Deputy
Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (center) along with Niti Kongkrut (2nd right),
director of the TAT Pattaya Office, and members of the Bangkok Dive Alliance
gather at the dusit d2 baraquda Pattaya to jointly announce the upcoming
Pattaya Dive Festival.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya’s two leading scuba diving centers are teaming up
with four Bangkok shops to introduce more than 500 new divers to Thailand’s
“wreck diving capital” in the city’s first-ever “Pattaya Dive Festival” Nov.
13-14.
Organized locally by Mermaids Dive Center and Aquanauts
Dive Centre, the non-profit event will see divers clean up and plant coral
at Pattaya’s local islands and dive for prizes in an underwater treasure
hunt. It’s an effort both to boost Pattaya’s reputation as a dive
destination and get Bangkok residents more involved in marine preservation.
“The event was created as a response to recent political
and financial turmoil that has affected Bangkok and the dive industry as a
whole,” Mermaids Managing Director Peter Waagensen said following an Oct. 12
press conference. “At the same time, Bangkok scuba operators want to make
diving Bangkokians more aware of their local dive area, Pattaya, which has
become known as the ‘wreck diving capital’ of Thailand.”
Sanya Lohitnavy of the Bangkok Dive Alliance, comprised
of Dive Indeed, Dive Innovation, Dive Now and Wahoo Dive Center, said at the
press conference that organizers hope 500-600 divers on 16 boats will take
the plunge.
Activities start early with divers assembling at Bali Hai
Pier for safety and marine life briefings at 8 a.m. From there, the armada
will head to Koh Krok for an underwater photography contest and treasure
hunt, with prizes donated by the city, Tourism Authority of Thailand, PADI,
Divers Alert Network, Major Development Co., and other sponsors.
After lunch, the group will converge on Koh Sak for an
underwater reef cleanup, then return to port and prepare for a party at
Reflection Condominium in Jomtien Beach.
The following day will be an invitation-only day for a
cast of Thai celebrities and political leaders who will plant coral at Koh
Larn.
“Pattaya’s marine ecosystem has steadily recovered over
the past few years, but there is still more work to do,” said Aquanauts
Managing Director Roger M. Smith. “Events like these show divers who usually
go to Southern Thailand that there is great diving right in their backyard
and help raise awareness about the importance of preserving the underwater
environment.”
“It will be an event full of fun,” Sanya said, noting the
festival will see dancing, music, magic and other entertainment spread
across five stages. “There will be prizes to be won and a great party in the
evening with food, drinks, activities and entertainment to thank all the
participants.”
The Dive Festival is the latest effort by the five PADI
dive centers united under the Pattaya Dive Club banner to raise the profile
of Pattaya - the home of three undersea shipwrecks - as a premier diving
destination. The group, supported by the city, PADI and the Royal Thai Navy,
aims to sink as many as five more wrecks over the next 10 years.
Divers and snorkelers interested in joining the Pattaya
Dive Festival can register with Mermaids Dive Center in Jomtien Beach,
Aquanauts Dive Centre on Soi 6 in Pattaya, with any of the Bangkok centers
or online at PattayaDiveFest.com.
