Famed Thai bay once decimated by tourism is now teeming with sharks. See them
Researchers in Thailand have documented the largest school of blacktip reef sharks ever recorded during an annual shark survey.
Up to 158 sharks, all part of the same group, were recorded in Maya Bay during the Shark Watch Project survey that took place between July 2 and 8, according to a July 9 Facebook post from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
The research team used drones to count the number of sharks and underwater cameras to observe their behavior, according to wildlife experts.
The presence of the school indicates the ecosystem within Maya Bay is healthy and able to sustain a large population, according to the post.
Decimated ecosystem rebounds
According to the conservation group OceansAsia, decades of unregulated tourism to Maya Bay decimated its ecosystem, leaving the seafloor “devoid of any life.”
The bay was closed in 2019 to allow for conservation efforts and natural restoration of the habitat. Thailand national park staff and volunteers planted coral for nearly a year and a half.
About 16 months later, a group of over 100 blacktip reef sharks returned to the bay, which they used as a nursery, according to the group.
Maya Bay, which can see up to 4,000 visitors per day, was reopened in 2022 but now closes from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1 each year for conservation efforts, according to government officials and travel websites.
Maya Bay is on Phi Phi Leh Island, located off the southeast coast of Phuket.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Famed Thai bay once decimated by tourism is now teeming with sharks. See them."
