Responsible Thailand Awards: New Heaven Reef Conservation Program

Located in the Gulf of Thailand, Ko Tao is one of the best destinations in Thailand for divers. The island has several dive schools including one of the oldest and most respected schools on Ko Tao, New Heaven Dive School. Founded in 1995, New Heaven has always had a focus on protecting Thailand’s marine environment. In 2007, the school took this dedication a step further and established the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program (NHRCP). Their years of dedication were recognised in the Responsible Thailand Awards 2023 with NHRCP winning the award in the Nature, Marine & Heritage category.

New Heaven’s diving courses, focusing on the conservation of coral reefs, are making an invaluable contribution to protecting Thailand’s marine environment. We know education is the key to protecting vulnerable environments, which is why the work of New Heaven Reef Conservation is vital in Ko Tao.

– Responsible Thailand Awards Judging Panel

The New Heaven family

Thailand’s diving fraternity enjoys a welcoming reputation and New Heaven lives up to that. The roots of New Heaven were established by two best friends, Uncle Kong Kampanart Na Songkhla (affectionately known as ‘King Kong’) and Devrim Zahir, a Cypriot-Turkish diver who was brought up in England. Both men shared a passion for the ocean with Uncle Kong earning the distinction of Ko Tao’s first Thai divemaster.

Uncle Kong passed away in 1998, but his legacy and love for the marine environment lives on with the New Heaven family. Devrim is married to Uncle Kong’s sister, Mama Kaen, and they continue to manage the New Heaven Diving School in a way that benefits both the environment and the local community. New Heaven is more than a dive school; it is an integral part of the Ko Tao community.

Marine conservation projects

The main focus of the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program is to preserve and protect the underwater ecosystem around Ko Tao. NHRCP works on a range of projects which include surveys and data collection to better understand the ecosystem and any threats to its welfare. New Heaven also raises awareness about the importance of marine conservation helping to educate locals and tourists.

Programs were created by Conservation Diver, a collective of marine scientists. The group operates around the globe setting standards for marine conservation education.

Coral nurseries and artificial reefs
Unfortunately, large coral colonies are prone to breakage through natural threats such as storms and big waves. In addition, corals can be damaged by human activity in the sea including boat anchors, fishing nets and irresponsible snorkelling and diving. In the right conditions, fragments of broken coral can regrow. NHRCP helps in this process by nursing corals back to health and carefully transplanting them back out onto the reef or artificial reef structures.

Clean-ups
Divers are more aware than most of the harm that can be caused by rubbish to marine life. Plastic, nets, and discarded ropes can all be fatal to sea turtles, birds and other creatures that rely on the ocean for food. New Heaven arranges regular clean-ups of debris on the beaches and in the waters around Ko Tao.

Mooring lines
Corals are slow-growing and fragile. Sadly, hundreds of years of coral growth can be easily destroyed by anchors dropped from boats in reef areas. NHRCP recognises this can happen because of ignorance or lack of alternatives and works to address both issues.

New Heaven has worked with other dive schools on Ko Tao as well as the Royal Thai Navy and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources to alleviate the problem. The solution has been to install and maintain safe mooring lines around the island in any areas where boats regularly visit. Some of the shallowest and most precious reef areas have also been designated as ‘no boat zones’.

Find out more

Visitors to Ko Tao can arrange diving trips through New Heaven Dive School. Anybody keen on conservation can also apply for an internship at New Heaven Reef Conservation Project. To find out more about New Heaven and the excellent work they are doing on Ko Tao, check out their website and social media channels:
New Heaven Dive School website | Facebook | Instagram
New Heaven Reef Conservation Project website | Facebook | Instagram

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