Koh Tao located in the Gulf of Thailand is widely known as a haven for scuba divers from all around the globe. With many people visiting the island which only covers an area of about 21 square kilometers, local dive centers are running eco friendly programs to help relief some of the environmental stress and pressure that ever increasing tourism put on Koh Tao's natural resources.

Ban's Diving, the award-winning PADI CDC Career Development Centre, with its dedicated team of passionate dive professionals and committed Project AWARE supporters created Eco Ban’s Diving, the marine conservation branch of Ban's Diving to provide dive experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the local aquatic environment.

Eco Ban’s Diving is actively involved in environmental projects, above and under the water. The team works in cooperation and conjunction with Project AWARE and Save Koh Tao Environmental Conservation Group. They cooperate and engage local companies and dive centers who share their conservation mission by providing community involvement opportunities.

Among Eco Ban’s Diving ongoing activities and projects, they run weekly beach cleanups of Sairee Beach (which is home to Ban’s Diving and is under heavy stress due to tourism and over-development), monthly Dive Against Debris and CoralWatch monitoring activities, install mooring buoys (to prevent boats from dropping anchor on corals), conduct restoration projects such as coral nurseries and educate and spread awareness of eco-friendly diving practices amongst all their divers.

Finley, Project AWARE's new ambassador touring the world on a mission to raise awareness of the plight of sharks,who recently paid a visit to Eco Ban’s Diving not only had a fantastic time with the team but was well impressed by their outstanding conservation work.

For more information about Eco Ban’s Diving projects and initiatives, read their My Ocean Blog and visit    Sharks on Tour to find out what Finley has been up to in Koh Tao.

Big Thumbs up from the Project AWARE team to Eco Ban’s Diving and Ban's Diving! Keep up the great work guys!