How To Take A Phi Phi Islands Boat Tour As Ethically As Possible
Thailand is a wonderful place to visit, and the diversity of the landscape and warmness of the people makes it a backpacker hot spot. When it comes to the Phi Phi Islands, part of the pull is the chance to submerge in the diverse underwater and sandy landscapes. Around 32.59 million people flock to the Phi Phi Islands each year for snorkeling, diving, or just to hangout on the beach. I was one of those people, and am asking you not to make the same mistakes that I did.
What To Know Before Taking A Boat Tour Of The Phi Phi Islands
During my time in Thailand I decided, like thousands of other tourists, to take a boat trip from the Phi Phi Islands. They’re easy to find; just stroll down one of the streets and you’ll see many tour companies ready and willing to take you out. I had an incredible time out on the water boating and snorkeling, but there were some issues that I noticed during our trip. Being aware of them can help you have a more ethical and sustainable boat tour around the islands.
I would like to note that the issues expressed are not the fault of the people putting on the tour, but the fault of tourists and the structure of our current society alike.
1. Pack Out Your Trash On The Phi Phi Islands
When we first got on the boat, we were handed a styrofoam (which, according to sciencing.com, can take more than a million years to break down) container with a plastic spoon inside, a plastic water bottle, and a juice box with a plastic straw.
We’re currently in a sort of transition period as a society where more people are becoming aware of the harm of inorganic materials, but you can see the trash piling up around the islands, partly due to these boat tours. The islands that are visited (and the aquatic world that stirs below the boat) are home to many plants and animals that make the beyond-human-world worth boating out and visiting in the first place, so it’s important to protect them.
Plastic Pollution & The Phi Phi Island Boat Tour
At the beginning of our boat tour, we would occasionally see a plastic bottle floating through the clear green and dark blue waters, which I first chalked up to “sometimes things fall out of the boat on accident.” But when we pulled up onto the shore of one of the first beaches, I decided to explore just a little behind the tree line. It was shocking to me how much trash was disregarded just behind the rows of green plants and shrubs.
This photo was taken on a popular tourist island, where my awareness of the issue of trash was immediate. Within walking just 10 feet past the tree line I found a mountain of plastic and other trash items.
The same trend continued on to each unique place that we visited. Even the day after our tour, when we were walking the beaches, the trash and plastic problem became apparent on the main island as well. In just under an hour, we had removed three large bags of trash that had washed up on shore and created a small floating island a few feet out from the shore.
The monuments problem of plastic pollution in our oceans can’t be solved by a single tourist, boat tour company, or even country for that matter. But there are some things that you can do to be mindful of impact and reduce the amount of harm caused wherever you go.
What You Can Do To Reduce Your Plastic Pollution On The Phi Phi Islands:
BYOT: Bring your own reusable containers, straws, bags, and utensils as often as possible. Drop off your reusable container with the boat company the night before and ask them to pack your meal inside of it instead of stylophone or single-use plastic.
Reduce and reuse: Try to reduce your use of single-use plastics and unnecessary trash. Reuse items as much as possible before throwing them away and deciding to buy something new. Listen to this podcast episode that explains the Six R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle… yep, there’s three more!
Clean up: Take an hour or less out of your week (or even day) to do a beach clean-up whether you’re at home or enjoying the Phi Phi Islands. Even if you’re the only one doing it, you may be preventing sea life from dying and inspire others to join.
Learn more: Do your research and learn about the leading cause of plastic pollution in the oceans. (Hint: It’s probably not what you think it is!)
2. Phi Phi Island’s Monkey Beach: An Unethical Animal Experience
As we pulled up to Monkey Beach on our Phi Phi Island boat tour, I felt a little strange that the monkeys were completely unphased that there were 40+ humans circling them, poking cameras in and out of their faces. As soon all seven speedboats unloaded their excited passengers, one monkey came up and snatched a packaged food item out of a human hand. As soon as the monkeys take something it is almost impossible to recover, creating conflict over stolen goods between the tourists and the wildlife.
Monkey Attacks On Monkey Beach
I quickly observed that the monkeys have become accustomed to stealing food from humans, encouraging them to be aggressive and clingy. They may become injured in the process as humans try to “protect” themselves, and once the packaged good is taken, the wrapper that contained it is dumped somewhere on the island and left as trash.
As I was trying to document all of the chaos happening from a distance, a monkey ran up to me and reached for my camera. Startled and scared, I ended up throwing my GoPro camera at them without even thinking.
If you search “Phi Phi Islands Monkey Beach” you’ll notice that there are countless tales of tourists being attacked by monkeys. Visiting Monkey Beach provides ample opportunities for it.
Let’s face it: most people come to Monkey Beach to take a cute selfie with a monkey. I get it – I’m all about that IG life, but not at the expense of others. When people approached them for selfies, monkeys quickly escalated their aggressive behavior to protect their babies and show the humans that their presence wasn’t wanted by hissing, showing their teeth, biting, and charging people. Even after the monkeys displayed aggression, humans continued to taunt them by teasing them with food and poking them in the face.
Respect The Monkeys, Skip Monkey Beach
When it was time to leave many people kicked water at the monkeys to keep them away while we got back on the boats. The whole thing was just distasteful; imagine living your life when a
The human and wildlife interaction is a lose-lose situations for the monkey on Monkey Beach. They become less wild, more aggressive, dependent on humans, and end up being injured and injuring more trash in their environment in the process. If your boat pulls up to Monkey Beach, stay on the boat and encourage others to do the same!
3. Eat A Plant-Based Diet In The Phi Phi Islands (And Beyond)
One of the biggest things that you can do to lower your environmental footprint is to eat a plant-based diet, according to scientist Joseph Poore and Oxford University. On most of the boat trips around the Phi Phi Islands a lunch is included. This lunch is usually made of body parts from the very beings we’re paying to go observe: fish.
Despite what you were told as a kid on your first fishing trip, fish do feel pain. It’s been proven time and time again.“The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals,” says Dr Donald Broom, a professor of Animal Welfare at Cambridge University.
Not only do they feel pain like other mammals, but fish are fast learners that have a keen sense of time. On top of that, they have long-term memories and can recognize other individuals, work cooperatively with other species, and keep track of complete social relationships. If you’ve ever truly spent time with fish in a peaceful manner (this does not include baiting and hooking them) you’ve probably noticed that they are inquisitive and personable. If you’ve never taken the time to peacefully observe them, snorkeling is a great time to try!
Eating Fish Is Killing The Ocean: Opt For Veggies Instead
Outside of harming the sentient beings themselves, fishing is disastrous for the ocean and all who live there. If you think that plastic straws are a threat to the ocean, wait until you hear about the plastic pollution and damage done by fishing gear. While writing a post for Free From Harm on fish farming, I shared that globally, 63 billion pounds of marine animals are injured or killed as “bycatch.” It’s a term used to describe the staggering numbers of fishes, birds, seals, whales, sharks, crustaceans and other sea animals who are indiscriminately captured, maimed, snared, suffocated and more as “collateral damage” in ocean fishing equipment.
So when it comes to boating around the Phi Phi Islands, get in contact with your tour company at least a day before the trip and ask for a plant-based meal. I did this in 2019 and they had no problem creating a meal that contained no animal bodies or animal secretions, whether they be from land or sea.
4. Sunscreen Hurts The Coral Reefs On The Phi Phi Islands
Prior to having a conversation with my good friend and travel partner on our Thailand trip, I never really thought about how sunscreen may affect the coral reefs and aquatic life at large. Before departing on our Phi Phi Islands boat trip, she told me that when she snorkeled over the Great Barrier Reef in Australia she was shocked and sad about how dead it really was.
Many people are unaware of how their sunscreen and other chemical body products contribute to reef degradation and hurt wildlife. Some education is needed before snorkeling or participating in water adventures so that we can lower our negative impact wherever we are.
The Deadly Impact Of Sunscreen In The Ocean
According to Green Chil
They also add that “coral located near popular beaches with a high tourist count lose their ability to reproduce and sustain the reef. Other sunscreen chemicals such as octinoxate, 4MBC, octocrylene, and butylparaben have been shown to harm coral as well.”
Choose Non-Toxic Sunscreen On The Phi Phi Islands
So before taking a swim, be sure to put your hard-earned dollars into a product that is killing the very reefs that we love to explore. Here’s a list of vegan-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens to choose from. If you didn’t pack any with you, you can shop local and buy reef-friendly sunscreen at one of the many shops on the island. I found this “Reef Repair” sunscreen (pictured above) on the main strip right before our boat departed.
Did you take a boat tour in the Phi Phi Islands? Leave us a comment and let us know if these tips helped you have a more ethical and enjoyable experience!
