Officers remove the underwater handrail. Photo: Phuket Marine Office
The Phuket News is reporting that after years of the activities of “sea walking” companies being ignored, officials on Wednesday morning (May 8) visited Koh Kai Nai (Inner Egg Island), expelled a boat belonging to a sea walking operation and ripped out handrails that had been installed illegally underwater.
The sea walking company was also found to have ripped out 300 square metres of coral and installed underwater handrails for its clients.
Long a controversial activity, sea walking involves tourists being fitted with plastic shoes and a large, heavy helmet with a pipe running to an air pump on the surface. They can then walk about on the bottom of the sea.
On board the boat, the Sea Lion, the officials found just the skipper and a load of sea-walking equipment.
The boat, they were told, is usually anchored next to the island when it is not in use.
The skipper, who refused to give his name to the officials, said he was just an employee and did not know he was doing anything illegal. He was told to take his boat away and not to come back.
Read the full article at The Phuket News
