DIVE HAPPY

Scuba diving tourists are returning to Koh Phi Phi and helping the tsunami-afflicted island return to normal

Bangkok Post: "Thawet Kongtuk, a taxi boat driver who worked at Tonsai beach on Phi Phi island, thought his career was over after the monster waves devastated the island on Dec 26 last year. He was wrong.

Around three months after the disaster, tourists began to return to the island. Today Mr Thawet, 26, has resumed his duties, taking tourists to dive sites around the island. He works with a private boat owner, who pays him 500 baht a day. The trip between the beach and the dive sites on long-tailed boats takes about 30 minutes.

The high number of tourists, mostly Swedish and German, has brought life back to Phi Phi. More diving shops have opened, while boat services have been busy. Now there are around 300 taxi boats, about the same number as before the tsunami, in the area. A third were donated by the French Red Cross." [Read full article]

A pretty heartening story from today's Bangkok Post, showing that the hard work of all the volunteers at Koh Phi Phi Dive Camp has paid off. The island is flourishing again, with hundreds of businesses open and scores of hotels available - take a look at this list of Phi Phi hotels you can book online for more info. I'll be adding my own report on Phi Phi Dive Camp which I wrote for Asian Diver magazine once they've published it next month.