Gavin Macaulay talks to Helen Brunt about the establishment of a marine park in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo... Q: What is happening in Semporna and what has been your involvement? 30 years ago this area was identified as an area of outstanding marine biodiversity by Dr...
Hanifaru Bay MPA – Snorkelling with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks
Mantas at Hanifaru Bay. Photo courtesy: EcoPro Divers Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, Northern Maldives, is famous for being a nursery ground for grey sharks, and sting rays. It is also one of the very few places in the world where whale sharks congregate to mate....
Whale Shark Marine Protected Areas of the Maldives
Sanctuary for the World’s Largest Fish There are many reasons to scuba dive in the Maldives; superb visibility up to 40m, teeming biomass in warm waters and exhilarating drift dives are but a few. Near the top of the list must be the excellent opportunities...
Palau’s Impressive History of Marine Protection – On the Frontline
Blacktip reef sharks are protected in Palau. Photo courtesy: Aggressor Fleet Palau is a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and north of West Papua in Indonesia. It is one of the world's smallest countries with only around 20,000...
Red Sea Marine Parks and Protectorates: Safeguarding Egypt’s Miracle of Nature
Diving in the Red Sea marine parks. Photo courtesy: South Moon Although we often hear terms such as "Egypt's marine parks", there is no official national marine park that covers all or even large swathes of the Red Sea. Rather, in addition to the Ras Mohamed National...
Thai National Marine Parks: Beauty and Untamed Nature
There are some 26 marine national parks in Thailand, of which, at the time of writing, 21 are formally legislated, while 5 are in different stages of the process of legislation. The 21 legally-recognised parks cover area about 5,810 km². 4 national parks are proposed...
Mu Koh Tarutao National Park: Thailand’s Wildest Island
The 51 islands of the Koh Tarutao Marine National Park archipelago lie in the Andaman Sea, 20-70 km off the extreme southwest coast of peninsular Thailand. Tarutao is a Malay work meaning old, mysterious and primitive. Much of the island is composed of...
Mu Koh Ang Thong National Park: The Secret Emerald Sea
Dive in the Ang Thong National Park Mu Koh Ang Thong National Park is an archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand consisting of 42 separate and small islands. All the islands occur in the Ang Thong district, of Amphur Samui, Surat Thani Province. The park covers a total...
Mu Koh Lanta Marine National Park: A Slower Pace of Paradise
Established in 1990, by order of the then Prime Minister Khun Chaun Leekpai and the Wild Animal and Plant Foundation of Thailand, Mu Koh Lanta National Park became the 62nd national park of Thailand and covers an area of 134 km² or 83,750 rais. It includes...
Hat Nopparat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park – Nature’s Masterpiece
The full name for the national park is Hat Nopparat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park which, besides being quite a mouthful, is located in Krabi Province, not Phuket Province as many people think. It’s the 46th national park of Thailand and...









