Shark Guardian have had a fantastic time talking sharks and sharing project results and information with dive communities and the general public in the south of Thailand. Events started in Phuket on the 24th July and finished with a bang in Khao Lak on the 27th. The Thailand eShark results from Phase One have been well received from everybody. Plus species identification has been a delightful and entertaining topic at times! Everyone has been guaranteed to learn something from the presentations, whether a scuba diver or not.

A Happy Shark Night at Happy Days in Phuket!

A big thanks goes to Aaron and the Happy Days team in Chalong, Phuket. They were a great host for our Shark and Marine presentation on the 24th and even donated a share of the bar profits to our UK charity. There was a very warm welcome from dive professionals and the general public. People were even stopping as they passed by on the street, engrossed in the amazing videos and photos that were shared. We shared Thailand eShark data and encouraged further participation from this busy dive community.

A new Shark Guardian Dive Center

Also during the Phuket evening, Shark Guardian met with Rachel Hawtin from Oceanic Dive Center to complete their registration as a Shark Guardian Dive Center! This is the latest center to join the ever growing list of dive centers supporting shark conservation. 30 dive centers worldwide now support Shark Guardian and this is expected to grow in the coming months with dive centers in Koh Tao (Thailand), Raja Ampat and Indonesia adding to the list.

Shark Guardian Dive Center Sea Bees welcome Liz on their dive boat!

Shark Guardian Director Liz Ward-Sing spent a wonderful day on the Sea Bees boat on the 26th of July. Liz chatted to individuals about Shark Guardian and its Thailand activities. Then in the break between the 2 dives, Liz presented a short version of the Shark Guardian presentation, highlighting the importance of sharks, shark species and why sharks are threatened in our oceans. The shark education was very well received and the many children on board were super excited to learn more about sharks. Coincidentally 1 child saw Shark Guardian at their school in Dubai in February this year! His fascination with sharks has grown since then so this was an added surprise to see Liz again.

Returning to local ground – Shark Guardian back in Khao Lak at Mars bar!

Shark Guardian were very excited to return to Mars Bar in Khao Lak on the 27th of July. After an amazing Sunday roast dinner put on especially for the night, there was a full house in this fun bar and restaurant. New divers, experienced instructors, dive shop owners, families and GVI volunteers filled Mars Bar for the shark education evening. GVI have been instrumental in uploadingThailand eShark data and are helping Shark Guardian with their new whale shark program (more information coming in November).

Shark anatomy and species differentiation

Shark Guardian added new content to all their recent presentations. Shark anatomy proved an entertaining topic, especially with the Sunday evening crowd in Khao Lak!! All audiences were enthusiastic to learn about the differences between nurse and bamboo sharks. This is an important area of shark education to complement the Thailand eShark project since the scientist behind eShark thought there may be confusion. It may be that nurse sharks have been incorrectly identified when actually bamboo sharks were seen. With the simple tips to  differentiate the different species, the Thailand eShark data will be much more accurate.

Shark Guardian takes their shark education to Koh Tao and Indonesia

At the start of August Shark Guardian return to Koh Tao to support Big Blue’s effort in shark conservation. Their annual swim for sharks will be held on the 2nd of August and Shark uardian will do some presentations on the evening of the 1st and the day of the 2nd to reinforce the focus of the shark event. Shark Guardian look forward to presenting alongside Christine Dudgeon from the Spot The Leopard Shark – Thailand project whilst in Koh Tao.

In August Shark Guardian return to Indonesia for an extensive tour of dive communities and schools. Check out the events page on the Shark Guardian website for a full list of locations where you an see Shark Guardian deliver their shark education.