As our speedboat approached Ao Phrao on Koh Samet, what immediately came to my mind was an image of blackened seawater and an oil-encrusted beach following the pipeline leak on July 27. But the seascape before me was different that afternoon.
The sky was blue and the high tide was a clear turquoise. The effects of the oil spill of about 50 tonnes from PTT Global Chemical's (PTTGC) offshore pipeline were not visible _ at least not to my naked eye.
The trip to this tourist spot wasn't for a vacation. Instead, the trip that took place weeks after the spill was an invitation from PTTGC as a part of its efforts to revive tourism.
The incident, the worst to strike Koh Samet, not only hit the tourism industry but also damaged the fishing industry on both the island and mainland Rayong.
The beach, already dubbed "paradise lost" by some, will be devoid of tourists until the end of October. During my trip, there were only media members and some celebrity guests as well as PTTGC staff.
The actual cleaning up might have been completed, but the process of the environment healing itself has just started. It will take at least several months more for the marine ecology to improve, but several years for the ecosystem to begin to get back to normal, although environmentalists doubt if it will ever be the same again.
At first glance, the beach seemed completely normal; stretches of white sand with clear water; crabs running around; small fish taking shelter in the still water behind the rocks. People fishing on the beach rocks the next morning boasted a dozen fish caught the day before, but were unlucky that day.
Of course, the cleaning couldn't reach every inch. Tiny flecks of oil residue were visible in the rock crevices and also oil sheen while the smell of oil fumes we briefly encountered once in a while could be translated as "collective hysteria".
"I had the feeling that I could smell oil, too, when somebody said they just did," said Werasak Choonhajak, director of Samet Resort Group, which owns two of the resorts along the beach.
But the vapours and the pungent smell two months ago were real. People recalled how their eyes became teary after being irritated by the crude oil fumes that also made breathing difficult. Those living on the cliff adjacent to Ao Phrao could also smell it from a distance, as the crude oil floated past below.
The spill didn't hurt only the local economy, but PTTGC itself for its improper reaction and untimely response.
Athavudhi Hirunburana, PTTGC's executive vice-president, polymers business unit, claimed that the slow reaction resulted from inexperience and the company didn't have its own equipment to tackle the oil spill, including the oil spill response vessel and the plane spraying dispersant chemicals.
Small fish taking shelter in the seawater between the rocks.
"It took a while to borrow the vessel from the Royal Thai Navy," he said.
Almost two months after the accident, the effort to clean up the beach is long finished and appreciated by Rayong governor Wichit Chatphaisit and his people.
"The sand on the beach had been thoroughly cleaned by turning it over to ensure the crude oil was washed away," said the governor.
But, of course, the crude oil that permeated the sand and the turning over process affected creatures underground like crabs, according to a survey by the Green World Foundation (GWF).
The GWF team has returned to Ao Phrao a few times for the aftermath survey and unsurprisingly found a drop in the number of marine creatures.
Right after the oil leak, the team found about 1.6 crabs or shrimps (rock crab, porcelain crab and snapping shrimp) per square metre under the rocks on the inner beach, but too weak to escape if you tried to catch them. One month later, the team found that all the creatures had completely disappeared from the inner beach. But those living on the beach outside the inlet were less affected by the crude oil; the usual number of 24 crabs or shrimps per square metre had fallen to just 9.6 after a month.
It's too soon to return to Koh Samet when swimming in the sea isn't yet recommended by the Pollution Control Department despite the fact that all types of chemicals, including total petroleum hydrocarbon, were under the required standard, after several tests.
"I'd already walked into the sea on the first few days after the clean-up," said Wichit. He said he was still fine and also took his family to visit the island after the accident. "[Deputy Prime Minister] Plodprasob Suraswadi and MP Chuwit Kamolwisit did so, too." " Plodprasob only found out from a Pollution Control Department test after his PR stunt at Ao Phrao that the seawater was still contaminated with mercury. A few days after his discovery, the test results had to be re-announced that the seawater was safe.
The governor said Ao Phrao was the only affected beach which makes up only 5% of the whole island. There are 10 other beaches to enjoy.
PTTGC and its parent company, PTT, have been trying hard to bring back the confidence of the tourists. Apart from the TV commercial "Better Samed" by PTT to convince tourists that the island has been cleaned and is safe for travel, PTTGC has not only brought media and travel agents to prove the situation, but has also thrown parties for its employees almost every week at the beach and in Rayong province.
Buying resort rooms and food from local operators was only their short-term solution. The long-term plan is to convince tourists to return to the once-popular tourist spot.
The company was also ready to follow the orders of a environmental rehab process, which will be made by Thon Thamrongnawasawat's team from Kasetsart University.
However, the situation on the beach is picking up. Ghost crabs and sand bubble crabs (the speedy ones we usually see on the beach) which were completely washed away by the accident were returning to their old habitat. A month after the accident, there were 0.8 holes per square metre; the number of holes indicated the size of the crab population.
The GWF team observed that the number was unusually low, compared to other beaches where about 50 to 100 holes were found, depending on other natural factors.
However, it would take at least a few more months to see any improvement, and the team hoped the number was increasing.
To bring back the tourist confidence lost after the oil spill, PTTGC needs an intensive PR campaign.
"If we don't bring back [the media and travel agents] to prove that the situation has changed, who else will do the job?" said Athavudhi, who had been assigned to take care of the rehab project. Rightly, it should be their responsibility.
After the spill, Athavudhi said, the management of the subsidiary of the Forbes-listed company was considering buying its own equipment for oil spills such as a response vessel and a plane for spraying dispersant chemical that can be shared among the group's various departments.
Oysters disappeared after the rocks were coated by crude oil almost two months ago.
