| March 20-21, 2010 – Koh Tao Festival |
The Koh Tao Festival is an annual event hosted by the Save Koh Tao community group and the Koh Tao community. The Save Koh Tao Group is made up of three main faculties – Marine Conservation, Land Conservation and Education (primarily through the local school). In this way we are trying to raise awareness to the environmental issues our tiny island faces and address them in a proactive manner.
A fantastic job was done decorating and setting up the ‘coconut grove’ just behind the beach in North Sairee. A long thatch tunnel with fluorescent lighting provided a pshycadellic entrance to this years festival grounds. Huge paper mache jellyfish lights, manta rays, shrimps, lobsters adorned the trees.
Local groups had displays highlighting their good work and some of the projects they have been working on over the last year. The Marine Conservation Group put on a wonderful display illustrating many of their projects including the recently completed Buoyancy World Diver Training Artificial Site.
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Kelly, one of the volunteers from Save Koh Tao sits watch over the turtles in the Marine Conservation Booth before they were released around the island. The Turtle ‘head starter’ program aims to increase the abundance of turtles around ‘Turtle Island’. |
There was a turtle release conducted in conjunction with the festival. A great success story as the turtle eggs were laid on one of Koh Tao’s beaches in the middle of 2009. The eggs were removed to the nearby city of Chumpon under the watchful eye of the local Marine Biology Centre there before being returned to Koh Tao for release. 220 turtles were hatched with 80 of them being released on March 20. Half of them were released on Sairee Beach and the other half were escorted to quieter areas of the island for release. |
The grounds had been set up spectacularly with giant jellyfish and other adorations making it quite a sight.
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Kailash Cook of Eco Koh Tao shows off the model and picture of his personally designed and built sea urchin, the first structure to be deployed as part of 2009’s major community project, Buoyancy World |
Crystal Dive and Eco Koh Tao teamed together to put on a rousing rendition of the 1970’s cult film the Rocky Horror Picture show. The thunderous applause showed the crowds appreciation. |
Sam Mack from Crystal Dive showing off her outfit for the Mrs Save Koh Tao Pageant. |
The evenings came alight with live performances from a number of the local dive schools. Crystal Dive and Eco Koh Tao starred with a rousing rendition of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. There were live bands, photography competitions, and of course the usual Mr & Mrs Save Koh Tao Pageant where participants had to make their own costumes out of recycled materials.
It was a fantastic weekend with a great effort put in by many people to make it happen. The festival is the main fundraising activity for the Save Koh Tao Group for the year. Money raised at the festival is used throughout the year to fund their many programs of conservation and education. |
Thank you to everyone who participated and made it a memorable event.
Take a look at the following websites for more details of some of those projects.
Save Koh Tao Group www.savekohtao.com
Marine Conservation Koh Tao www.marineconservationkohtao.com
Eco Koh Tao www.ecokohtao.com |
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