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.
The owner of the boat did not appear, and could not be contacted.
The officials also noted that the operation is not registered with the Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration (BTBGR). “This company does not have the license,” Aroonhawat Sukjaroen of the BTBGR said. “We have already sent details of this case to Koh Yao Police Station and it is under investigation.”
Underwater, the officials found coral had been uprooted to create a nice smooth sandy path for sea-walkers, with hand rails for their safety.
After telling the boat captain to get lost, the team ringed the damaged coral area with buoys to mark it for a coral revival effort that will take place this weekend (May 11 and 12).
“We found around 800 corals pulled out but alive,” said Tanet Munnoy, Director of the Region 5 Center of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. We will bring some advanced divers here to replant the coral [in the area that was ripped out].
“Most of the ripped-out coral was blue coral. It could take a decade for it to recover.”
Mr Tanet added that there are more three sea walking businesses that operate off Koh Hay (Coral Island) but all of these have tourism licences.
Apart from the damage inflicted by sea walking, Koh Kai also has a critical garbage problem.
Mr Tanet said, “It is mainly from the restaurants and shops on the island, from tourists and from fishing boats. This is now a very big problem for Koh Kai.
“Sometimes volunteer divers help to clean up [the sea around the island] but we still come across animals such as dugongs, dolphins or sea turtles dead because of the marine garbage.”