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

[@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!

[@Adsbvs5990]

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.

[@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

[@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

[@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!

[@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...

[@PapayaoverMango]

More tourist bans

[@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.

[@wanderlustonwheel]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@NKHYS-c5l]

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.

[@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.

[@stephenyoong9527]

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

[@kevin080592]

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

[@zoharrahdeguzman3499]

you misinterpret his comment idiot..

[@SanyHand]

What is Boracay?

[@leedevlin8260]

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

[@thinkabout288]

yes

[@-HolySpiritDove-]

yeah nice recovery :)

[@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

[@TheManagingTechnolog]

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

[@aika860]

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

[@ajitbasumatary5973]

it should be closed forever for tourists

[@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

[@rockaphonics]

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

[@dantesalazar7805]

close it forever to tourist

[@jamesjanusgenius]

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

[@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.

[@putarte7271]

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

[@mariendorf1981]

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

[@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

[@honyeechou818]

Yes Good moves from the Thai Govt

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@serialcommenter7264]

What is the song being used?

[@charlielowes8495]

its despacito no.11

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@jf6591]

Bravo Thailand!!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@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.

[@sandeepshyam6365]

Hats off to Thailand authorities for taking care of their nature and marine lives.

[@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.

[@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.

[@andysun356]

What is the name of the song?

[@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!

[@ChutchapongTH]

สุดยอดครับ พวกเราควรรักษา ทรัพยากรทางธรรมชาติไว้ เพื่อให้ดำรงค์ไว้ต่อไป พวกเราต้องรักษาธรรมชาติช่วยกันรวมถึงนักท่องเที่ยว

[@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

[@mialindayao9897]

Well done, Thai government. ❤ sending my love from the philippines.

[@jonsisigur5760]

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

[@ajazz102]

Whats the song at the start ?

[@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.

[@oceanicmermaid]

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......

[@cindydiorchanel]

That’s awesome 👏 I’m glad the they ban the beach there glad Thailand 🇹🇭 take care of environmental of our beautiful beach good to close Thank you 🙏🏼.

[@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.

[@qtrun]

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

[@AntonRacing]

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

[@lets-do-this]

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

[@andreaturbolz3542]

Great decision. Love Thailand ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@iwrotegreen]

Music please

[@Comercomerce]

BAN TOURIST FROM THAT ISLAND FOREVER!

[@24mithuna]

I want it to be closed forever.

[@anonymousstout4759]

This is so awesome watching nature reclaimed their home

[@drjones198]

Close it forever. It was a horrible experience when it was open. The disappointment on everyone's faces when they entered the bay to be greeted with hundreds of boats and thousands of people was obvious. It was a madhouse.

[@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.

[@shedarestomove2417]

Kudos to the Thai government for doing what needs to be done. Maya beach has always been in my bucket list but I'll be fine not ever be able to visit it as long as such abundant and beautiful place is preserved.

[@nocturnalwolf7559]

The movie "The Beach" was the best and the worst thing to ever happened to Thailand !!!! although as a tourist myself, im sad that i was not able to visit this beautiful place but glad they banned it.

[@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.

[@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

[@chengtan5894]

This only can happened when Thailand is under military government. They can do it without the interference from opposing politicians who claimed to represent local tourist operators. Tour operators usually don"'t give a dam on environment.

[@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! ❤️

[@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

[@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 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@forme3h]

I've been to Maya Bay and it was beautiful but sad. It was abused by us humans...im so glad that the Thai government is doing something right yet beautiful. Thank You!!!

[@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.

[@donny18able]

Beautiful! simply beautiful work.

[@hunter21331]

Baby shark tu tu ru tu. Baby shark tu tu ru tu, baby shark! Daddy shark tu tu ru tu. Daddy shark tu tu ru tu, Daddy shark! ...... sing with me everybody!

[@mimi_micha8815]

Grandpa shark tu tu tu tu...

[@AndromedaMessier101]

Mommy shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo Mommy shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo Mommy shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo Mommy shark!

[@danielidris4573]

How bout uncle Meg? Dont leave him

[@hunter21331]

Daniel Idris who the hell is that

[@MasterPiece-rg7ed]

How old are you?

[@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...

[@Andrea100186]

When did they close Maya Bay?

[@withoonk180]

June 18

[@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.

[@ronpasa5359]

I support Thailand's effort. Maybe if to be opened, restriction must be put in place. Only 10 able to visit a day.

[@charlielowes8495]

its a large beach. 10 would be lonely and a bit scary haha. maybe 120 visitor a day is a perfect number.

[@iambrunei]

Thanks to Anuar Abdullah and his dedicated team!

[@Horseshack]

Only temporary. The bay will eventually re-open to tourism. Hate to be negative but greed will prevail.

[@DavidArriola]

they are thinking about not allowing boats in the bay ever again.

[@cHemon]

It will be reopen with restriction in tourist numbers, docking location, and other regulations.

[@joeyausAyoyo]

It might not be reopening soon since most Thais don't want to confront with same disaster again.

[@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.

[@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

[@thatnorwegianguy1986]

Good I just came back from Thailand and spoke to a guy who took part in the cleanup shame on those folks who ruined such a natural beauty good to see its returning to its former glory.

[@bluecanyon1213]

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

[@suninmymouth78]

The day I visited Maya Bay it was actually not over crowded. Glad I got to see it with my own eyes, but now that I know better...Happy the govt is doing something to preserve nature. They should just close it permanently. So many other lovely islands & beaches all over Thailand.

[@nannat5333]

I was born and grew up in Krabi. I visited Maya Bay five years ago with a friend and so shocked. It is so much different from what I experienced when I was a kid. So many boats parked right on the beach and too many tourists and you even hardly found a spot to sit. It is regretful to see nature destroyed by tourism. Anyways, we still wants to welcome tourists since it is important for our economy. However, I just hope most of tour entrepreneurs will have more responsibilities about this. Stop being selfish before there is nothing they can gain profit from.

[@xxthisislilaxx4914]

I’ve been there and honestly the tour was beautiful, but Maya Bay itself was an awful experience because there were tourists EVERYHWHERE! You couldn’t even see the water because everyone took pictures and posed in there and boats waited there. And for shops, I personally haven’t seen a single shop in Maya Bay Area. I assume there are only very very few. So I think it’s more important to protect thousands of fishes and precious nature habitat 🧡

[@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

[@TheWolf22t]

Instead of closing it for a few years and then opening it again (which i have no doubt will happen) just have a limit on how many boats can go in a day

[@techfreakinknow]

We skipped PhiPhi islands whilest we were in Krabi. Not my cup of tea being crammed in a bay with thousands of other people. I'm really happy the Thai government is taking measures to rescue this treasure.

[@ruhimark4522]

I am visiting Thailand this Nov sad that am not be able to see this paradise...but am happy for my ecosystem reconstruction

[@mattruth3843]

You can see on google earth how the Trees are dying off Exsposing the Titain compared to older pictures where there is more trees on the Titain. And the story givin here coincides with the allowance of the trees in the foliage I never seem to grow back before they allow people to go back to the island

[@msmilano7091]

It's kind of ironic in a sad way that Maya bay became so famous due of a story about a group of people desperate to protect it from public knowledge. The reason being that humans ruin everything they find.

[@brunomer1115]

Thank you for giving this beautiful nature a break to recover. Should be closed longer or forever from any destruction caused by humans

[@RobertMcCalle]

Good move Thais.

[@purberri]

Nice to see nature recovering

[@yzafinds]

Just like what our president decided to do in Boracay, a 6-month rehabilitation to let its beauty go back to what it should be. Kudos, Thai officials who push to recover the Phi Phi Island!

[@rossco333333]

This video is slightly misleading, I swam with black tip reef sharks in maya Bay in 2015, but I'm glad they are now flourishing.

[@gihankanishka]

Wonderful to hear ❤