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#319
 Breaking news: a tiger shark has been sighted in Similan Islands in Thailand
smilingseahorse - 11/20/2020 1:20 AM
Category: Travel
Replies: 4
What a fantastic start to this much awaited diving season on Thailand’s Andaman Sea! A Tiger shark has been sighted by several divers in Similan National park this week...


A first time for Darren King and his buddies who has been diving in Thailand since 2005.
"We dropped usual place in Elephant Head Rock, Similan: southern side of the main rock, before the channel and the tiger shark came up from the deeper water to check us out. It came very close and there was no doubting it. "
Unfortunately this time the divers didn’t have a camera to capture the moment but what a thrill!!!

​Tiger sharks are very rarely sighted by divers as they usually prefer to live in deeper/ colder waters.
​The Smiling Seahorse guests were also very lucky to spot a tiger shark twice last season at the nearby Burma banks : in March 2019 and November 2019.


Another tigershark has been spotted and photographed by snorkelers in Surin islands in December 2019 but such sightings are so exceptional they are making the news!


Is there hope for Thailand’s Sharks population?

Sharks have been slaughtered for decades for the meat and fins and shark population has decreased dramatically: some sharks number have seen a 90 percent cut in the last 50 years!

Finning, a practice where fishermen cut the shark’s fins before discarding the rest of the body in the Ocean is now illegal in 52 countries but only 12 countries have banned shark fishing altogether. Unfortunately the practice is still legal in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

A recent study done by WildAid and Rapid Asia in Thailand, found that 57 percent of Thais living in urban areas have consumed shark fin at some point.
In recent year more and more campaigns have raised awareness about this cause and eating shark fin soup is loosing popularity.

In China, 85 percent of respondents to a recent survey reported they had stopped eating shark fin soup.

Such sightings of Tiger sharks in Similan, Thailand sure give us hope for the future of Shark population in Asia.
Thailand still has a bountiful Marine life to explore!
#21136
LatitudeAdjustment - 11/23/2020 7:45 AM
I’m glad you say; Breaking news because so many destinations will post photos of whale sharks or Ocean sunfish like it’s an everyday thing when they were the only ones they ever saw :(
#65
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KJD - 12/03/2020 12:24 PM
This is such great news!!!
#319
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smilingseahorse - 12/03/2020 8:59 PM
We see a lot more whale sharks than tiger sharks around here!!! So yeah it is a pretty extraordinary sighting. I also saw a killerwale in Similan islands a few years back and that’s the only one I have ever seen :P
#319
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smilingseahorse - 12/03/2020 9:01 PM
right?! so excited! I was out last week but haven’t seen it... probably swam away already :( But I saw a manta birostris this week and plenty of cool stuff!
Harlequin shrimps, seahorse, ghost pipe, juvenile shaded batfish and giant frogfish are the most notable in only 3 days!