#Thailand - Hua Hin beach under watch after shark attack admitted

Authorities were on Wednesday keeping a close watch on popular Hua Hin Beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan after it was confirmed that a Norwegian tourist was attacked by a shark there on Sunday.

Officials had initially tried to pass off the man’s severe leg injury as being a gash from sharp rocks, but Jatuporn Buruphat, deputy director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, acknowledged at a press conference at Bangkok Hua Hin Hospital on Wednesday morning that the wound was caused by a shark, most likely a bull shark.

The story changed after the abbot of Wat Tham Khao Tao released video showing four sharks swimming off the beach near his temple. The abbot warned that if no action was taken, someone could be killed.

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 Jatuporn said a marine veterinarian had visited the hospital to inspect the tourist’s injury along with Dr Thassapol Krachangmala, a shark expert from his department.

The hospital’s deputy director, Dr Pongsak Boonleephan, told them the wound was caused by a toothed marine creature. Photos indicated the animal was a shark, most likely a bull shark.
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Prachuap Khiri Khan’s deputy governor promptly dispatched officials to watch over the beach and erect signs warning people not to swim out further than 20 metres.

Officials also spoke to the abbot who recorded the video of lurking sharks.

Jatuporn said camera drones operated from an Army base in Hua Hin spotted two sharks, each 1.5 metres long, swimming near the same beach.

Source - TheNation 

#Indonesia - Sabang, Aceh has a lot to offer for marine tourism

Weh Island is a paradise north of Sumatra. Sabang is located on the island.

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 When thinking about beach destinations in Indonesia, the top-of-mind places are usually Bali and Lombok. Rarely does the Sabang City in Aceh make it into the list of favorite places for underwater activities, while in reality the city actually has plenty to offer for marine tourism.

Take the Sail Sabang 2017 event, for example, it’s one of the highly anticipated events by the Tourism Ministry and will be held from Nov. 28 until Dec. 5 in Sabang.

The event will have 24 activities, among which include Sabang Underwater Contest, fishing competition and freediving competition.

The latter one is a form of underwater sports that relies on divers’ ability to hold their breath as long as they can until resurfacing.

The competition will run from Nov. 26 until Dec.1 and it has so far attracted 40 international diving athletes to participate.

To compete in this sport, the athletes need to spare some time ahead of the competition to prepare themselves.

“The competition is next week and they are already here, they need to train. You can’t reach a certain level of depth in short time, you need to adapt and do a survey,” explained Stanley Sradaputta, a freediving expert who assists divers in the event.

One of the early-comers is world-record holder William Trubridge from New Zealand. 

“I just finished my first training for Sail Sabang Freediving Competition, Sabang has a beautiful ocean,” said William.

During his first training, he managed to descend 90 meters down amid the nice weather. “Waves are great, the clarity of the water is good. The entire condition is exciting for us freedivers,” he added.

Through this freediving competition, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is pushing for freediving to be developed by the locals in Sabang. He saw that the seas in Sabang are beautiful and deep enough to do this kind of sports activity. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

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#Indonesia - Tanjung Lesung Festival to host Rhino X #Triathlon

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If you love triathlons and also like to explore culture and historical sites at the same time, then the Rhino X Triathlon – or Rhino Cross Triathlon – is the right fit for you.

Set to be held from Sept. 23-24, the sports tourism event invites participants to explore the beauty of Tanjung Lesung in Banten while competing in the race.

“The race consists of swimming, cycling and running phases. Our target is to have local and foreign participants in the event,” said Kawasan Tanjung Lesung manager Poernomo Siswoprasetijo.

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 The event, which is part of the Tanjung Lesung Festival, will also feature other activities including a challenge to break the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) record for the youngest diver carrying the national flag in the Sunda Strait.

The cross triathlon will be divided into three age groups: Open (20 to 39 years old), Master (40 years old and above) and Youth (13 to 19 years old).

Apart from the Rhino Cross Triathlon, the Tanjung Lesung Festival will also offer other sports activities, such as the MTB XC (mountain bike cross-country) Marathon and the Sunset Trail Run.

 Read also: Tanjung Lesung to add 10,000 rooms to welcome travelers

Source - TheJakartaPost