Sharks return to Thailand’s famous Maya Bay after tourist ban

Thailand's Maya Bay - the crown jewel of Phi Phi Islands and location of the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach - was closed to tourists as part of national efforts to rehabilitate the country's marine environment. With the tourist ban came a new group of visitors to the bay - blacktip reef sharks. Read the full story: cna.asia/2QMyFDM

[@shanmugaretnam9868]

Our greatest respect and gratitude to the authorities of Maya Bay in taking a clearly unpopular decision to prioritize the safeguard of the environment over the commercial benefit of tourism. This will be a valuable case study for many coastal and beach cities in Asia to value the original inhabitants of the environment including the flora and fauna.

[@thinkabout288]

spot on

[@DavidArriola]

exactly!

[@ashavanderburgh5990]

Well said Shanmuga

[@01DOGG01]

The plan was to close it then reopen again. Also phi phi can't even get enough clean water these days.

[@seniorarubia]

Shanmuga Retnam yes 💖🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@paulhart8814]

nice to see a Country, where the National Park Authorities, actually look after the place, rather than grabbing money. Well done the Thai Government.

[@paulhart8814]

@@VidNibs yes I have been to Thailand, quite a lot, and will be retiring there thank you, have you?, and it was Greed that caused problems, , not sure you can blame that on the Government, as it was Comercial Greed that took so many people there, dropping anchors on the coral, either way, The current Government, have rectified it.

[@ratpan5878]

Best101 He was just type wrong? Why acting this much? It's inside of Thailand, no one knows so please control yourself first before developing the country.

[@caino0567]

@@paulhart8814 you Guna be one of those old fat bastards walking around with a 16 yo? Pathetic.

[@paulhart8814]

@@caino0567 I am 61 32" waist and still travel the world, can you say the same!

[@NattapolNT]

FYI The current government doesn’t do anything.

[@chermarl5955]

The latest update in Thailand announced that it may close the Maya Bay for as long as 1-3 years.

[@bluecanyon1213]

And now this impact tourism in phi phi so much and vendors or shops suffer from this decision.good and bad thing at the same time

[@chermarl5955]

Yes .. It was a difficult decision. Solve problems with access to the beach by rowing boat or kayak only. Meet halfway ... win win

[@RTK171]

I live here in Thailand its been said its not going to open again for the next 10 yrs

[@chermarl5955]

Too long ...it is sad if so.😔😔

[@adah4944]

@@chermarl5955 sad??? It's good for the sharks and other animals. They don't have a place to live if tourists keep using their terrain...

[@WinArmyOfficial]

humans are scarier than sharks

[@nacnahm73]

Amen

[@iuhshwth1634]

Umm. No

[@danield4928]

You are human too orare you better than other humans?

[@pinkxx620]

What species are you?

[@ajinkyaubale9713]

pink XX sharks

[@mnizammasood]

Human see, Human come, Human destroy. Welcome back sharkies. Welcome back to you home. Congratulations to the Thai govt and local authority for the ban. You guys are heroes. There should be an hour long documentary for this success.

[@sasmalprasanjit2764]

Replace Islam in place of Human. Replace Human in place of Shark. Replace Earth in place of Thai. Replace Humani IN 21th Century with Local Authority.

[@friedchicken3941]

u dont eat or drink then

[@MrCkr1984]

@Nizam Masood. You mean all the humans on earth replaced with animals? Great philosophy

[@evenbrown4753]

Nizam Masood sharks suck

[@PapayaoverMango]

More tourist bans

[@armstrongchan1417]

It is great to see thai government doing the right thing!

[@blingblingg418]

@Dark HunterWhy do u wanna tell your bad attitude with your own country to other people? just keep it in your mind dude

[@chermarl5955]

@bling blingg Why do you think @Dark Hunter is Thai?

[@cauhscrymdorn2132]

It is obvious that you never been to North Korea and assumed military states is all the same.

[@hellotomorrow3845]

@@blingblingg418 just a poor girl. Ignore her

[@suphatonkhong2654]

@@hellotomorrow3845 agree with you, why we should to discuss this kind of bitch!

[@dancrazyful]

This is amazing Thailand..Pls keep it up...Its more about taking care of your land nature beauty than making tourism money...

[@YSF_Pooh]

Thank you🇹🇭

[@Amuzic]

We are like a disease...destroy everything wherever we go.

[@chrismechell1947]

I was lucky enough to be in Thailand and see Maya Bay just before the ban, it was beautiful but I'm definitely glad to see the country shutting it down to restore the natural wonder.

[@msmilano7091]

Chris Mechell It's great that you had a great time, but people saying "I've been and I hated he hordes of tourists" make no sense. You were one of them.

[@cauhscrymdorn2132]

I just wish they do the same to other places in the world. Those poor Venetians for example.

[@chrismechell1947]

@@msmilano7091 Yeah I'm sorry but I didn't say that I hated the hordes of tourists. Also when I went there was almost no-one there, (other tourists). So sorry to say that your comment is the one that makes no sense.

[@chrismechell1947]

@@msmilano7091 Not quite sure how well your English is but all I said was that it was beautiful but its nice to see the country putting up a ban in order to help out the local ecosystem.

[@PNGUIN-my7gq]

same here. i actually remember thinking while being there that the amount of tourism there at the moment would cause consequences. I'm glad they closed it off before it was too late.

[@stephenyoong9527]

Majestic. Very nice video with calming music. Well done 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💪🏻💪🏻. If only, all countries adopt the same approach. Save our oceans.

[@wanderlustonwheel]

I had been to maya bay it’s beautiful bt it was overpopulated by tourists. Good move by government to restore nature

[@kumi3214]

This is a good example how eco tourism needs to reassess. Understandably it's good for any country's income but we must remember the impact it makes bringing thousands of tourists to admire the beauty of nature mother.

[@WhyINeedThis12345]

Kumi Has

[@summersummer6806]

I’m Thai. And I can say I’m so happy to see this happened. Thank you to the government. You guys did a good job to protect our home.

[@kevin080592]

same goes with boracay philippines!..manta ray population increased

[@zoharrahdeguzman3499]

you misinterpret his comment idiot..

[@SanyHand]

What is Boracay?

[@rjhanim]

Wonderful news that restoration is possible if there is political will to do something about it. Syabas to govt of Thailand for doing the right thing for the Marine environment

[@watashitetsujin4993]

I've been there and was morbidly horrified of thousands of tourist especially Chinese as they were trying to remove corals to take with them. I'm most happy to learn this beautiful beach is closed off to tourists but I think The government should allow Chinese tourists to still visit but they have to swim to get to the beach. It's time the nature gets back to these greedy bastards for destroying the corals!!!!

[@juspain1]

Agreed. I went there last year and it was a horrible experience with so many people there. It was my least favorite beach I visited because of the massive amounts of people there. Glad it’s closed now

[@janessamorelli4200]

@@juspain1 May I ask what your favorite was? I'll be in Phuket in two weeks (after visiting Bangkok and Chaing Mai) and would love to know if there are any particular islands or beaches we should check out. It's great that they closed Maya Bay, it really needs to recover.

[@KP-gq2lw]

All the countries should get together and kill China

[@icedmocha5264]

Lol. There needs to be strict regulations. Maybe limit the number of tourists there per day.

[@kingchakazulu7762]

@@janessamorelli4200, Maya beach is in Phi Phi. If you go to Phi Phi from Phuket, just hire any water taxi to take you around, stop at any beach that looks nice. Phuket has some really nice quiet beaches, i stayed in Karon, rented a motorbike and just headed south.

[@rockaphonics]

One of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen. Great memories, I love maya and am glad they are preserving it

[@leedevlin8260]

Its a good move, we need to restore nature..

[@thinkabout288]

yes

[@-HolySpiritDove-]

yeah nice recovery :)

[@TheManagingTechnolog]

One of the few occassions when nature won against mass tourism.. Applause for the Thai people !!!

[@karukoll]

I should say, I was lucky. I had visited it just a few months back. Maya bay was not in our package, though we had it in our bucket list. Fortunately, when we had to upgrade our package at Phuket for ease of travel, Maya Bay was in the scheduled list. 'Beach' is one of my favorite movies, and it was like dream coming through.

[@jamesjanusgenius]

Can somebody tell me the name of the song which plays from 00:23 to 00:50..I will be really grateful

[@mariendorf1981]

This made me smile. Well done from Ireland :-)

[@ajazz102]

Whats the song at the start ?

[@putarte7271]

This makes me cry...we should love our planet ❤️❤️❤️ great job Thailand

[@andysun356]

What is the name of the song?

[@jonsisigur5760]

whats the name of the song???? anyone plz

[@annop_a]

Been there 20 yrs ago. At that time, boats are not allowed to get in the beach upfront, but the pier in the back. When I walked to the beach from the crowded trees in the back, the bay scene made me more than the impressive. Lucky to see once in my life.

[@troiyoung]

Glad to see closure is having a positive impact! I’m at Lanta now wanting to visit Maya and was disappointed not so much now seeing this...

[@donny18able]

Beautiful! simply beautiful work.

[@maezietynczuk]

Great news good job military Thai Gov. it’s good that you protect maya bay than before. It’s the same protection as Koh Samed now I’m so grateful!

[@npakali]

I feel like crying see those shark. Good job

[@lets-do-this]

Amazing how fast nature can recover sometimes if it gets a little bit of help. Keep up the great work thailand!

[@richardturner7060]

Had a chance to visit this paradise back in 2015. There were lots of boats & ppl, but not like the most recent pics I’ve seen. Glad to see the Govt closed the area to allow nature to return.

[@aika860]

I support this movement. Ban tourists from entering this National Park. 👍 Well done, Thailand.

[@tichu7]

We dove this exact location two years ago...I asked every dive tour operator whether we'd be able to see any sharks. "Maybe" was the most optimistic answer they'd give. In our two hours of diving, we saw two sharks from a distance. Glad to see them coming back, but it'll be a few years before their population returns.

[@iwrotegreen]

Music please

[@serialcommenter7264]

What is the song being used?

[@charlielowes8495]

its despacito no.11

[@ajitbasumatary5973]

it should be closed forever for tourists

[@IR19881]

I went yesterday and the "closed area" is really small( only the sand beach and a bit of it front). All the boats still get in the Bay and water is full of sunscreen.

[@rnmahoney]

Oh wow! I visited Maya Bay in the early to mid 2000s and there were nowhere that amount of boats jamming the area back then. I was snorkelling and was absolutely surprised to see two or three baby sharks in the shallow waters! Must be something about the bay that draws them there. Kudos to Thailand.

[@dantesalazar7805]

close it forever to tourist

[@icebarpp6267]

Fantastic youvid

[@TheGreenMargarita]

It is beautiful!!! We have been there 2016 And its not like this , no fishes just tourist at the beach and trash , but thank God this happened! This is surreal! ❤️

[@Geshmachten]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing, we travel around the world and wanted to visit this beach :(

[@jf6591]

Bravo Thailand!!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@kingruhul785]

Sharks be like: I have just seen the beach movie, now me and gang needs to be in that Maya Bay take some selfie. My dude!

[@andrewtan6077]

U guys did awesomely!!!

[@balidancer]

GREAT! I have been to Maya bay and it was more crowded than a sunday market in Chiang Mai.... now it is regain its purity and calm.. khabkhunkha Thailand.... U R amazing.. just closed this paradise forever......

[@RTK171]

I was so lucky to go there 20 yrs ago it was magical. Then I went 10 yrs ago and it was already stuffed. The bay next to maya Bay is nicer it's very deep and no beach but the water and coral and reef fish is or was incredible.

[@heliosboy]

Wow.. sharks! Look awesome. I went there at 2011, it was very nice bay, not many boats like nowadays at the bay. Hope it will get better..

[@GrinddalCPH]

Very good initiative by the Thai government 💪🏼 I was a Maya Bay in April of 2004, nowhere near that many boats or tourists back then.

[@anonymousstout4759]

This is so awesome watching nature reclaimed their home

[@danielflud7602]

i went to Maya bay 2 years ago. it was still beautiful when i went, but it is scary how much worse the condition of the bay got in the time since then. amazing to see the sharks returning. worth the wait of years to ba able to reopen with limited people and no boats on the beach. snorkeling there would be amazing

[@gihankanishka]

Wonderful to hear ❤

[@ElleTV1706]

I miss this place, very beautiful island

[@honyeechou818]

Yes Good moves from the Thai Govt

[@qtrun]

Close it forever! I cried watching those sharks come back 😭

[@ismaelghazali1145]

The Philippines did the same thing, the government shut down Boracay island for 6 months and the result was astonishing😍 the island was restored into it’s former glory.

[@ChutchapongTH]

สุดยอดครับ พวกเราควรรักษา ทรัพยากรทางธรรมชาติไว้ เพื่อให้ดำรงค์ไว้ต่อไป พวกเราต้องรักษาธรรมชาติช่วยกันรวมถึงนักท่องเที่ยว

[@cityslicker3456]

only 6 months ago, the only shark mentioned by visitors in Phi Phi island was shark fin soup.

[@purberri]

Nice to see nature recovering

[@aitaisakura4281]

You know closing is not necessary if they put new strategy on the tourism. Like make limited tourist to enter or make the price higher for high end tourism.

[@sarahishak1860]

Its a beautiful place. Been there. So crowded with tourist. Its now time for the marine life to take over it again. I am so happy to see the sharks swimming freely without any harm

[@danfarrell2531]

When they decide to reopen they should seriously consider limiting the number of tourist to 500 a day not 5000 and just charge more. People will appreciate more space and will be willing to pay for it. Thus will keep the balance between safe guarding the environment and creating an income for the Thailand.

[@masumasamooo2493]

They should limit tickets or something to the place if the re-open to tourists. Like a gig. Limited numbersss. 5000 a day is mental

[@MW_1420]

I visited maya bay in 2016, it was staggeringly beautiful as promised. Crowds were somewhat low, but thats because it was raining- actually made for a pretty cool experience. I am pleased to see the government taking action over irresponsible tourism regulations. It would be nice to see the bay more strictly regulated. Swim up only is a great compromise.

[@Andrea100186]

When did they close Maya Bay?

[@withoonk180]

June 18

[@Musiknird]

I'm so damn happy they finally closed Maya Bay for tourists. I've worked as a divemaster in the area and during the season of 2012-2013 we didn't see a damn blacktip for the whole season and we thought they gone extinct in the area. Next season 2013-2014 we saw them slowly returning, but they weren't many of them. Whale sharks has also returned to the area and finally Thai authorities might get that mass tourism isn't the answer. You have unique marine life in the area and it would be nice if it can continue in the future as well, but there's lots to do. Overfishing and fishing fleets showling the marine park is absolutely devastating to see. It has to end!

[@davidwilliamsdw37]

I visited maya bay back in 2003. That morning there wasn’t a cloud in sight and apart from myself there was an older couple walking around and that was it. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life. I still go back to Thailand now and then but I avoid ko phi phi. It’s to damaged now.

[@rafagraciano6612]

I went to maya bay earlier this year, but it was still closed off. I’m glad sharks are coming back. I hope it stays closed for a while tbh

[@OmarRamirez-wx9li]

Been here twice a few years apart. The second time I did notice it was very barren with a lot more people on the beach. It makes me happy to see that things are changing since they closed it. If it ever opens, tourism to the island should be regulated. They should only allow a small number of people to visit the island per day to allow nature to flourish. Just a thought. The beauty of the island is why people want to go in the first place.

[@niclaslinden8608]

💜 I am so glad that it is closed. I almost get tears in my eyes. And those beautiful sharks coming back. Just lovely!! I was there in 2015 with all those tourist boats. It is such a amazingly beautiful place, but I felt so sorry that all the thousands of tourists were there destroying the place.

[@bluecanyon1213]

After 3 years close , i think they will open for 3-4 months in high season per year only

[@hisloveiseternal1]

This makes my soul happy =)

[@andreaturbolz3542]

Great decision. Love Thailand ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@sagunkhadka9786]

That were their place actually..its so good to see them return

[@seniorarubia]

Respect for Thailand Gov and Humans with a heart who makes this happening!!!! I visit Thailand soon and iam happy that they’re doing this. We must save our world like parents sometimes forget to save our life’s we always must get up by ourselves. Iam happy for this Flora & Fauna 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@rentner66]

I have been there 3 times, the first time before leos movie and it was a paradise, and after- horrible! What they have done now is absolutly thr right thing! Congratilations!

[@LhasaThailand]

Calling BS on going there before the movie.

[@msmilano7091]

Lhasa Thailand Exactly. It wasn't open to tourists before the movie. It was a fishing beach protected by national park. They didn't even want to give it to the movie, but the producers eventually threw enough money at them. People bragging about having been were part of the problem.

[@JohnnyFD]

Really nice to see them back. But the solution isn't to do a ban on all tourism, it is to limit the number of visitors per day to something reasonable. Charge a marine park fee and use that money for other environmental projects instead. Also force snorkelers and boat captains to go through proper training before going into the bay.

[@chandrulotlikar5137]

It was indeed very beautiful and always had wish to visit this place again. but I agree nature has to be preserved and for that sometimes harsh decisions as to be taken. Good job Thai Government this shows your commitment to the nature too.

[@gingerblue7774]

This is so beautiful...now they can swim n play around..welcome back..

[@halimboy9130]

A huge congrats to the Thailand Government for this recovery program. I was lucky enough to go to the maya bay, and the damage was significant. Huge respect for the Thailand for this attempt. Hope they will closed it for a year or 2.

[@JayneBeremasBrooks]

Hopefully the Maya bay's nature restoration would be the pioneer for all nature restoration around the world 💕💕

[@phiphi_tours2283]

Brilliant vid

[@kevin84cfc]

Luckily I was there this time last year !! But it was far too busy and over crowded anyway,racha island 🌴 is nice 👍

[@ambessashield9360]

Been there twice, absolutely beautiful

[@cowboyfromnorway1441]

I've been there ❤️😎👍🏻 Love it

[@OlgaUmair]

Wow! Incredible 👍💕

[@victormusau1828]

I'm still surprised that they actually closed it.

[@wisanu99]

I was there when Phi Phi island was an unknown in 1991. There was one hotel. To get there, you have to be on a long tail boat for 5 hours. No speed boat. When I get there, barely other tourist in sight. I still have the picture of me in the bay alone in the middle of the afternoon. Right just outside of the Maya bay was the most beautiful coral reef I've ever seen to date, and I'm to Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Big Island), Bahamas (many island, don't remember), and Cancun. Whenever I saw the recent videos, pictures of Maya Bay, I was sick. The most beautiful thing and Thai government and people doesn't know what they have, and it's one of their crown jewels in their tourist industry. I'm glad they finally do something with it. However, I feel it's way too late. Coral takes decades to grow. Closing it for a few years will never put it back where it once was. Phi Phi should have been treated like Similan islands. Similan has no hotels, only limited camping with permit.

[@Raditram]

I mean when they were opened you really couldn't see nothing, everything was blocked by the boats and people. Now it actually looks pristine and beautiful.

[@cocosguesthousekohphiphi5704]

Very Cool post

[@AntonRacing]

best news ive heard since along time. thank you thailand. i bow to Bhumibol Adulyadej.

[@bimosp1435]

there is BALI BEACH for tourist

[@relaxwithdoodee3587]

Thanks to “This Military Government “ (most of foolish people call them Dictator but it’s not true. ) None of governments are brave to do this because they afraid of loosing their popularity. After we have Military Government , nature have been improved also many millions baht of enter fee from tourists have been collected and send to Country promptly ( Where is this money goes to in the past?)

[@99armaniex]

Agreed with this

[@burgerr.5599]

👍👍👍👍

[@suraphongponanun9120]

This is one of good thing but otherwise is bad such as human right....I still hate dictator..It was true

[@relaxwithdoodee3587]

suraphong ponanun When you look deeply ,you’ll realize that your life DOESN’T CHANGE from the past government at all Because democracy you think you have is not a TRUE DEMOCRACY from the beginning.

[@sulaimansama-ae5224]

คนทั่วไปมักไม่มองจุดนี้

[@SincerelyGail]

Kudos! Wish more would do the same. 🙏🏼👍🏼👏🏼

[@phiphi_tours2283]

Cool post

[@jameswells9864]

We went on one of the island tours in sept this year. And we missed out on to maya bay which was a little disappointing. However after hearing our tour guide tell us the reasons and showing us pictures of the rubbish that was left after the tourist had been there and the destruction of coral and the decline in marine life . I’m happy to say I’m glad we weren’t allowed to go there . And good on the Thai government for the closure 👍🏻🏝

[@iambrunei]

Thanks to Anuar Abdullah and his dedicated team!

[@nocturnalwolf7559]

Honestly I would be satisfied with just 4k tour of the beach from the government and ban all of us forever. The beach is way more important than our money