Thailand Divers Fish and Marine Creatures Guide From Phuket Thailand..
What this will be is a quick guide to some of the amazing fish we see when diving in the waters off Phuket Thailand. Different fish will be featured everyday and as the Similan islands season is about to start too these fish will be for sure seen in these waters too. The scuba diving around Thailand Phuket is some of the best you will find anywhere. From the shallow bays of the Racha Islands that are perfect for people who want to discover scuba diving Phuket is ideal. Then again the sloping reefs are ideal location for people who want to learn to scuba dive Phuket has dive sites for all levels of diver. Then as many experienced divers will know that just to the north west of Phuket lies the Similan islands and these are normally done on a liveaboard trip for 2-4 days. This is by far the best way to get the most out of the diving as it gets you (on the 3 or 4 day trip) to have a day diving Richelieu rock which is situated just north on the Similans and is part of the Surin islands national park. Phuket liveaboards to the Similan island and other destinations are available from all good Phuket dive center.
There are many types of sting ray around the globe. Even here when scuba diving Thailand you will come across a few different types. The most common is the Khule's sting Ray. This is often mistaken for the Blue Spotted Sting Ray. When on a Phuket diving day trip you will find the Khule's sting ray in numbers on all the dive sites as there is plenty of large sandy areas for then to hide in . You will may be miss them as they bury themselves in the sand leaving only their eyes and tail uncovered. They lie still until you are inches from them and then they race off scaring the wits out of divers new to the area. The areas you will find when scuba diving Phuket are a haven for rays or all shapes and sizes. From the giant oceanic Manta Ray, Eagle Ray, Reef Manta, Marble Ray, Jenkins Ray, Blue spotted sting Ray and the Khule's Sting ray to name but a few.
The stingrays are a family - Dasyatidae - of rays, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are common in coastal tropical marine waters throughout the world, and several species are known to enter fresh water. Other types of rays also referred to as "stingrays" are the river stingrays (family Potamotrygonidae), the round stingrays (families Urolophidae and Urotrygonidae), the sixgill stingray (family Hexatrygonidae), and the deepwater stingray (family Plesiobatidae). For clarity, the members of the family Dasyatidae are sometimes called "whip-tail stingrays".While most dasyatids are relatively widespread and not currently threatened, there are several species (for example Taeniura meyeni, Dasyatis colarensis, D. garouaensis, and D. laosensis) where the conservation status is more problematic, leading to them being listed as vulnerable or endangered by IUCN. The status of several other species are poorly known, leading to them being listed as Data Deficient.
Reproduction
When a male is courting a female, he will follow her closely, biting at her pectoral disc.Stingrays are ovoviviparous, bearing live young in "litters" of five to thirteen. The female holds the embryos in the womb without a placenta. Instead, the embryos absorb nutrients from a yolk sac, and after the sac is depleted, the mother provides uterine "milk".
Stingray injuries
These are normally few and far between as they as most creatures are will be far more scared of us. When diving we see them in large numbers and they always move off when we come close. It may be just an unlucky snorkeler or beach goer than may put their foot directly on one. Depending on the size of the stingray, humans are usually stung in the foot region. It is less likely to be stung by brushing against the stinger. Surfers and those who enter waters with large populations of stingrays have learned to slide their feet through the sand rather than stepping, as the rays detect this and swim away. Stamping hard on the bottom as one treads through murky water will also cause them to swim away. This is what makes Similan island diving as good as it is as the waters are so clear all year round. Humans who harass stingrays have been known to be stung elsewhere, sometimes leading to fatalities. The stinger usually breaks off in the wound. This is not fatal to the stingray as it will be regrown at a rate close to that of human fingernails (about .5-.75 inches per month). Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain and swelling from the venom, and possible later infection from bacteria. Immediate injuries to humans include, but are not limited to: poisoning, punctures, severed arteries, and possibly death. Fatal stings are very rare, but can happen.Treatment for stings includes application of near-scalding water, which helps ease pain by denaturing the complex venom protein, and antibiotics. Immediate injection of a local anesthetic in and around the wound is very helpful, as is the use of opiates such as intramuscular pethidine. Local anesthetic brings almost instant relief for several hours. Any warm to hot fluid, including urine, may provide some relief. Vinegar and papain are ineffective. Pain normally lasts up to 48 hours, but is most severe in the first 30–60 minutes and may be accompanied by nausea, fatigue, headaches, fever, and chills. All stingray injuries should be medically assessed; the wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned, and surgical exploration is often required to remove any barb fragments remaining in the wound. Following cleaning, an ultrasound is helpful to confirm removal of all the fragments. Not all remnants are radio-opaque; but x-ray radiography imaging may be helpful where ultrasound is not available. These are the things you can see on any dive course Phuket has to offer.
As food
Rays are edible, and may also be caught as food by fishing lines or spears. Stingray recipes abound throughout the world, with dried forms of the wings being most common. For example, in Singapore and Malaysia, stingray is commonly barbecued over charcoal, then served with spicy sambal sauce. In Iceland, eating pickled stingray ("kæst skata") on December 23 is an old tradition. Generally, the most prized parts of the stingray are the wings, the "cheek" (the area surrounding the eyes), and the liver. The rest of the ray is considered too rubbery to have any culinary uses.While not independently valuable as a food source, the stingray's capacity to damage shell fishing grounds can lead to bounties being placed on their removal. When in national parks on one of the many Similan islands liveabaords you can easily see so many ray in their natural state as there is no fishing or culling of anything and a natural balance is kept by nature. This is why Similan diving is rated as some of the best in the world.
Eco-tourism
Stingrays are usually very docile, their usual reaction being to flee any disturbance. Nevertheless, certain larger species may be more aggressive and should only be approached with caution by humans, as the stingray's defensive reflex may result in serious injury or death. Dasyatids are not normally visible to swimmers, but divers and snorkelers may find them in shallow sandy waters, more so when the water is warm. Here in Thailand when on a Similan liveaboard In the Cayman Islands there are several dive sites called Stingray City, Grand Cayman, where divers and snorkelers can swim with large southern stingrays (Dasyatis Americana) and watch while professional scuba instructors feed them by hand. There is also a "Stingray City" in the sea surrounding the Caribbean island of Antigua. It consists of a large, shallow reserve where the rays live, and snorkeling is possible.In Belize off the island of Ambergris Caye there is a popular marine sanctuary called Hol Chan. Here, divers and snorkelers often gather to watch stingrays and nurse sharks that are drawn to the area by tour operators who feed the animals. Many Tahitian island resorts regularly offer guests the chance to "feed the stingrays and sharks". This consists of taking a boat to the outer lagoon reefs then standing in waist-high water while habituated stingrays swarm around, pressing right up against tourists seeking food from their hands or that being tossed into the water. The boat owners also "call in" sharks which, when they arrive from the ocean, swoop through the shallow water above the reef and snatch food offered to them. This is a practice thats totally discouraged here in Thailand as we need to protect the reefs and wild life to keep it as natural as possible. Anyone on a liveaboard Similan islands you will see how perfect the conditions are here and the fact that no one feeds anything means we can see all these amazing creatures in their perfectly natural state when diving Phuket.
Other uses
The skin of the ray (same) is used as an under layer for the cord or leather wrap (ito) on Japanese swords (katanas) due to its hard, rough, texture that keeps the braided wrap from sliding on the handle during use. They are also used to make exotic shoes. They are used to make boots, belts, wallets, jackets, and even cellphone cases.
As with all good dive shop Phuket we think the best use for them is to see them in the wild when in Phuket scuba diving. They are graceful in the water and a nice creature just to swim with as because as long as you just give it some space then its perfectly harmless. If you are heading out on a Phuket liveaboard for a few days to enjoy some Similan island diving then you stand a far better chance to see some larger rays too as many in Phuket tend to be a bit smaller. The great thing is having all this amazing world class diving right on your doorstep. Here in Phuket Thailand you have all the top hotel names and world class diving with no need to back pack to get there.
No comments:
Post a Comment