Marine Conservation Courses on Koh Tao

Our in-house Marine Conservation team Eco Koh Tao are a leading provider of marine conservation education on Koh Tao and throughout the South East Asia region.

They are actively working on a number of environmental projects and are one of the most active environmental organisations on Koh Tao.

Tropical Koh Tao is an idyllic island paradise both above and below the water with stunning natural beauty and a delicately balanced marine ecosystem.

Training and preparing dive professionals with an emphasis on all aspects of marine conservation is critical to the sustainability, preservation and protection of coral reefs for generations to come.

Our pro level and entry level diver courses and scuba diving internships are designed with a strong emphasis on marine conservation and we provide a range of ‘bolt-on’ Eco modules. Those with adequate training can participate and contribute to a range of conservation projects:

• Bio-Rock dive site – coral transplantation and growth rate data collection
• Buoyancy Word – artificial dive site
• Coral nurseries – construction of coral nurseries around the island
• Reef check surveys / EMP (Ecological Monitoring Program)
• Junkyard House Reef – our own artificial dive site (a popular dive site)
• Beach and dive site clean ups around Koh Tao
• Giant Clam Nurseries
• Mooring Buoys & line maintenance and management.
• Adopt a coral transplant
• Marine resource management
• Coralwatch

On Koh Tao, several alternative dive sites have been constructed over the last decade with the goal of increasing the local reef area and removing increasing numbers of divers from natural areas.

Junkyard Reef is one of those artificial dive sites located approximately 500metres from the shoreline of Mae Haad. The founding partners of the Eco Koh Tao charitable conservation project, Matt Bolton and Nathan Cook MSc, commenced the extensive restoration work that is now a flourishing artificial dive site, visited daily by divers and the current restoration team.

Whilst Nathan continues his coral reef restoration work with Reef Ecologic in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Matt continues to facilitate the work that the present Eco Koh Tao team are currently engaged in, working alongside the DMCR to ensure best coral restoration practices are applied and maintained.

IDC Koh Tao alongside Eco Koh Tao are at the forefront of marine conservation locally with involvement in multiple projects through international partners Project Aware, Coralwatch and Reef Check.

Our Divemasters and Instructors undertake Reef Check Training to ensure they are expertly informed about the marine environment. Our reef surveys help to keep an accurate database on the condition of the local coral reefs.

In addition to incorporating marine conservation into our lifestyle and scuba diving internship packages, we offer specialty eco courses for those who want to learn more about the local environment whilst making a valuable contribution to scientific research.