Creating the reef was a simple exercise. As a barge full of the open concrete cubes chugged through the water, a forklift truck on board simply pushed them over the side.
The creation of the eight-kilometre artificial reef came after the success of a similar project off Nai Yang beach three years ago, which has boosted the coral and fish in Nai Yang Bay.
Manop Leelasuthanon, chief officer of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor), said that the artificial reef will not only become a thing of beauty, attracting tourist and increasing income for local people, but will also help to revive marine resources “that are essential to Phuket people”.
He explained that a lack of a proper management plan for Phuket’s environment had affected marine resources, with coral reefs being killed off by human activity, so the OrBorJor had embarked on a project to create artificial reefs.
The first was in Nai Yang Bay in 2009, and two more were created in 2010 in Bang Tao Bay and off Kamala.
He said that the Nai Yang reef already had good coral growth and had attracted schools of fish.
However, said Sompong Dabpetch, deputy mayor of Karon, the three earlier artificial reefs had already been damaged by trawlers because no plan had been made to keep them away.
In the case of the new Kata-Karon reef, he said, the various departments concerned will be consulted to work out ways to protect it.
The creation of the reef was paid for by the central government and managed by the OrBorJor.