He continued by saying marine officers had counted 23 dolphins in the pod and this was the largest number ever seen in this region of the Andaman Sea. The department investigated reports from tour boat crews that dolphins had been spotted swimming about half a kilometre from the shores of the island.
Mr Rattanaruengsri said conservationists were worried that the sound and movements of boats would frighten the dolphins off. He explained that dolphins used to frequent the waters around Koh Kai, but increasing numbers of tourist boats had driven them off.
He finished off by saying that boat captains needed to keep their speeds down and stay at least 500-metres away from dolphins. If dolphins are not spooked by sudden movements or sounds they are more likely to investigate new arrivals and occasionally go right up close to tour boats.
Dolphins are just one of the myriad draws of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga. Other enticements to visit Phuket range from stunning beaches and a waterpark to Soi Bangla’s scintillating nightlife. 12GO ASIA provides a handy ticket reservations service for travel to this part of Thailand.
Boat skippers asked to keep away from dolphins at Mai Thon Island
News in Asia
Phuket maritime officials have asked the captains of tour and fishing boats to keep their distance from dolphins at an Andaman Sea island. Regional Marine Conservation Division boss Suchat Rattanaruengsri said a pod of bottlenose dolphins had been spotted swimming close to Koh Mai Thon last week.