Wreck diving along Thailand’s AndamanCoast will be ten times more adventurous next season thanks to the creation of an artificial reef consisting of ten decommissioned military aircraft.
Four Douglas C-47 Skytrain military transport aircraft and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters (pictured below) will rest alongside an already submerged tin sledge in 20 meters of water 1 Kilometer off Bang Tao Beach.
The project was proposed by the For Sea Foundation, a group of Bangkok divers who originally joined up to survey Tsunami damage to coral reefs.
“We believe these aircraft are very suitable for creating artificial reefs because they are large enough for divers to enter and will not affect currents at that depth. Also, they are mostly aluminum and will not rust,” said For Sea Foundation secretary Vittayen Muttamura.
The US-built aircraft, which served during the Vietnam and Korean wars, will be partially disassembled and transported overland from Koke Krathiem Air Force Base in Lopburi before being dropped into Cherng Talay, Phuket in a two-day operation scheduled to start on May 5.
April 25, 2008 at 10:25 am |
Good work For Sea Foundation. On the other hand, Koh Lanta is now a perfect mix of being accessible and having enough facilities to be comfortable, but also not too built up and an easy place to find some peace and quiet and relaxation.