Maya Bay Bans Swimming to Protect Blacktip Reef Sharks

In Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Leh, you can’t go into the water past your knees, and only 375 people are allowed on the beach per hour. The aim is to protect blacktip reef sharks which use the bay’s shallow waters as a nursery for their young. For 4 years, Maya Bay had no tourists at all. After featuring in the 2000 film ‘The Beach’, it was overrun with visitors, and authorities closed it to protect nature in 2018. Then the pandemic hit, keeping tourists away. In their absence, shark numbers blossomed, reaching 161 sightings at one time. The blacktip reef sharks play a vital role in the bay’s ecosystem by eating the sick or weak of other species and controlling numbers. However, shutting down Maya Bay also cut the local economy by half. The authorities are in consultation about more sustainable forms of tourism. Watch to learn more about blacktip reef sharks on Maya Bay.