Tuesday, April 22, 2008   Bangtao aircraft wrecks for diving arrived on Phuket

Today, amidst great excitement, a convoy of 15 flatbed trucks loaded with the remains of the ten decommissioned military aircraft arrived at Phuket after a three-day overland journey that began in Lopburi. There, the convoy departed from Koke Krathiem Air Force Base in Lopburi.

On May 5, the aircraft skeletons are to be dropped into the sea at a depth of about 15 to 20 meters. They will be arranged in a concentric pattern with two helicopters in the middle. These will be surrounded by an alternating circle of airplane and helicopter fuselages, creating about 2,500 square meters of artificial reef. An additional attraction is an abandoned offshore tin-mining sledge nearby.

A representative of Aqua Divers in nearby Nai Thon Beach told local newspapers that the sinking operation will be conducted with the help of both the Royal Thai Navy and National Parks Department. The wings of the aircraft were clipped at about mid-length and the rotors removed from the helicopters and the remaining hulls will be fixed with concrete blocks to the seabed. Upon completion, the entire site will be surrounded with a circular barrier of concrete blocks to prevent any migration of the structures across the sea floor.

The TAT estimates that the new dive attraction off the coast of Bang Tao Beach will attract 200 divers daily and might generate 140 million Baht in income per year.