Wicked Diving Wicked Diving

Our Responsible Travel Policy has been constantly evolving since we began operating and as we and the world we live in change, so this policy is adapted to meet those changes. It’s purpose is to serve, structure and minimizeany negative impact upon the local communities and environment. These guidelines are at the very heart of all of Wicked Diving’s operations and forms the underlying principles of the company.

We know we cannot change the world overnight, but we can help make a difference – one dive at a time! We hope the you feel the same way 🙂

 Please note that we have very recently opened a second location in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. As we are new to the location and the culture – we are actively seeking locally sourced porducts and materials. In addition, we are researching how to best make a positive impact on the people and economy. We ARE off to a good start with our small shop made of recycled materials! We will update this policy and all relevant information as we can!

As Wicked Diving is based in and entirely supported by the local ecosystem – we are acutely aware of our impact on and responsibility to this environment. We do our utmost to effectively implement our Responsible Tourism Policy with this in mind. Being locally based means that our economic impact directly affects those that would most benefit by our operations. Again, this is a key pillar of our actions and responsibility.

Wicked Diving sincerely understands that the environments, cultures, and economies of the region in which we conduct our business are fragile, requiring a sustained commitment to ensure that any interactions have a lasting positive effect. The principles of Responsible Tourism are intrinsic in how Wicked Diving operates as we believe this approach can positively assist local communities, providing income and the financial incentive to protect the areas natural environments and local communities.

Wicked Diving’s  Responsible Tourism Policy is based around our aim of being a socially responsible business engaged in the conservation and protection of the environment and local communities. In addition we support local, national and regional policies that increase the protection of the marine environment.

The fundamentals of our Responsible Tourism policy can be categorized into Environmental, Social, and Economic policies. However, we appreciate that in reality there is often an over-lap between these policy areas.

As a final note – the best of intentions can not always overcome the reality of some situations. As rules, laws and cultural shifts occur, Wicked Diving is willing to adapt in hopes that we may continue to affect them – as such our Policy of Responsible Tourism is a living document. If you feel that a portion, section or even the underlying fundamentals of our policy could be improved – please feel free to contact us – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

MARINE CONSERVATION

We consider it our responsibility to protect the environment we live in, so it’s only natural that marine research, conservation and education are an integral part of everything we do and the Wicked Diving experience.

• It goes without saying that we take a responsible approach to diving – why wouldn’t we?! … read more (click through to info under responsible diving)
• We proudly contribute to a number of marine research and conservation projects. This includes providing data on the status of coral reefs to link to Reefwatch section and on manta ray sightings to link to Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna (FPMM) section
• Once a month we do specific educational and conservation trips, such as Manta and Rays, and Shark. All trips include presentations, activities around the specific marine life and information for guests on what action they can take to help protect and conserve
• This season we began a programme of reef conservation by trialling our own Wicked reefballs to encourage new coral growth and attract more marine life to the area. We launched the first one at the end of the 2011 season. As a result of this – we plan on building and dropping at least 15 more this season. We will keep you posted on its progress.
• Marine education is an integral part of our holiday experience and guests can take specific courses if they want to learn more or gain specific skills.

Plans for 2011/2012

• Every season we have one full time instructor who is a marine scientist. Next season we’re really excited to be offering a marine graduate an opportunity to intern with us, complete the SSI Environmental training and then manage all existing marine research and conservation projects as well as develop new ones.
• To develop our manta conservation and protection programme by looking at ways we can partner with FPMM

ENVIRONMENT

The environment around us, both in and out of the water is our playground, and we love it….! We are privileged to be able to enjoy it and we consider it our responsibility to respect it and help protect it.

ENERGY

Conserving energy is a must for any business.  It’s important in terms of minimising the carbon and pollution we are emitting, and let’s not hide the fact that it makes business sense too – it can save you money. The sun and wind are natural resources in abundance here.  We much prefer clean energy and use them wherever we can.

Jaya:

• This season we cut the Jaya fuel usage from 700L to 600L with the installation of a newer engine engine. (that is a savings of 2500l in one season)
• Our beautiful schooner is a ‘quiet’ boat at night as she uses passive ventilation and sea breezes to keep cool, so there’s no need for air con and use of a generator…. it’s so nice to be ‘hum-free’.  The fish like it too!
• All water is warmed through passive solar
• We also operate under sail power when we can, however we are not miracle workers, unfortunately our schedules and weather patterns do not always coincide  PHOTO

Parinee:

• The Parinee is naturally ventilated in communal areas eliminating the need for aircon.
• She is currently not as energy efficient as we would like, so during the low season in 2011 she will be retro fitted with energy saving in mind

Both Boats:

• The boats run on biodiesel. We are very aware that the use of biodiesel does not reduce our carbon footprint and that some research actually indicates that it may even have a slightly negative impact when considering the source of the biological product (e.g. Palm Oil). However, biodiesel does not produce the same pollutants that petroleum based fuels do. These particular pollutants have a dangerous affect on the life cycle of coral and can cause permanent damage to the reefs. We feel that by both reducing our impact on the marine environment and supporting alternative fuel options, we are helping to improve the conditions. We are currently looking into using recycled cooking oil, for sure, if and when we find an alternative to biodiesel we will certainly use it!
• We plan our trips so that we use the most efficient plan – even where we moor at night.
• As well as considering alternative fuels we are trialling renewable energy solutions in the next 6-12 months.  We will be experimenting with solar panels and wind turbines…. Watch this space!

Shop:

• In our classrooms and office we have skylights, which allow passive lighting during daylight hours
• We have insulated walls which reduces the need for air conditioning
• However, unfortunately it’s too hot here to be without aircon in the classrooms – we don’t want our students passing out! – so we’ve made sure that we have modern, highly efficient units installed.  Staff are briefed to turn the aircon off when classrooms aren’t in use.
• As an unnecessary suck on energy, we switch off all PC’s at night

Transport:

• When available at the petrol station we use biodiesel for our vans
• If we’re just running equipment around town, we use our trusty ‘salang’. PHOTO She’s more fuel efficient for those short journeys around Khao Lak.

All:

• We already use some low energy lightbulbs.  To avoid excess waste, we will be switching any remaining lightbulbs to low energy alternatives as and when they ‘blow’.
• When replacing appliances and electronics we seek out the most energy efficient options.

WATER

Water should ALWAYS be used sparingly. Even in our locale where we have an average of 4 meters of rain per year.

• On our boats we have simple spray guns to rinse off after being in the salt water. There is no need to shower after each dive/snorkel, you’re only going to be jumping straight back in!
• On the Jaya we use a sea water recycling system for sanitation, and we are investigating how we can use grey water for the toilets on the Parinee
• We capture rainwater for use in our rinse buckets at the shop and on our boats
• All cleaning products we use are made from natural products and are biodegradable

WASTE

The amount of waste generated is a huge problem in many countries, and Thailand is no exception.  There is limited, or no infrastructure for waste disposal, with very few reliable recycling facilities. At Wicked we are committed to reducing the amount of waste we generate, and we encourage our guests to join us in this.  Any waste produced is disposed of in the most effective ways possible

•    Plastic waste is a big problem in Thailand, so we avoid using any single use containers and provide all guests with one water bottle that they can refill from our water dispensers.  
•    We encourage all guests to avoid accepting plastic bags for purchases in shops and to reuse the ones they have. Locally made cotton bags can be purchased inexpensively at our shop and other local shops.
•    All cans, glass, plastic and paper are recycled in Phuket.  There are marked bins on our boats and in our shop for guests to use.
•    Food waste is currently not recycled because it’s so hot here it can be rather smelly! So, we’re looking into hygienic, non smelly ways to do this.
•    We minimise the amount of toxins and chemicals released into our environment by supplying our guests and staff with biodegradable soaps and shampoos from BaanSanFan
•    All batteries on our boats are rechargeable.  We ask all guests to either use our batteries or bring their own rechargeable batteries.  If batteries need to be recycled we ask guests to take them back to their home countries as sadly batteries cannot currently be safely recycled in Thailand.
•    We ask all guests to help us in our mission to cut waste and bring as little single use waste and plastic when coming to Thailand.

Plans for 2011/2012
•    Retro fitting the Parinee to be more energy efficient
•    Continue to trial using renewable energy on our boats, which will include measuring outputs and impact
•    We will be changing all shower heads and taps to low flow devices
•    We are banning all plastic bags and bottles on the boats.  We will provide all guests with refillable stainless steel water bottles – this alone will eliminate approximately 1000 plastic water bottles of waste each season!!



CARBON

Wicked Local Carbon Offset Scheme

We don’t want to wax lyrical about the negative impact of flying on the environment, this is fact, and we all know that the only real way to cut carbon emissions from flying is to fly less!  However, we have to acknowledge that without flying we wouldn’t be able to welcome so many guests, or be here ourselves!  So far we have encouraged guests to share minibuses from the airport, or use public transport from Bangkok. From season 2011/2012 we will be going one step further and offering guests the opportunity to offset their flying emissions through our Wicked Local Carbon Offset Scheme where all funds will be invested in the local environment or community … click here for more information about the link to scheme info.

Please check back as we complete this process (it’s not easy!!!) and look for more information here in the very near future.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL

Wicked Diving feels that a significant part of our responsibility as guests in our community is to contribute and support the local economy, as well as respect local cultures and people. This includes caring for our staff, participating in local projects, educating and learning, as well as abiding by the laws of the country we inhabit. We strive to have a positive impact within our local community and environment and our activities are never at the expense of people, culture, or the environments in which we operate.  

STAFF

We recognise that our staff are our most important asset, so we encourage a family feeling and team approach where we all take care of each other.  We employ western, Thai and Indonesian staff throughout the business. Our staff are a mix of men and women, there is no gender discrimination here, and we offer favourable employment terms, well-over industry standard pay, and training and advancement opportunities. All staff are given introductory language courses at the beginning of the season and are encouraged to further their education while at Wicked.

We consider Wicked Diving to be a family, not a job. Every effort is made to care for and work with our staff as we would a family. Once part of the family, we make every effort to assure a long and vibrant career with Wicked. Vacations and familial obligations are part of this. We also schedule work loads so that staff get rest and opportunity to offgas – lowering the chances of accidents. For our local staff we offer year-round employment rather than the seasonal work.

All full-time staff are working in the country legally. Wicked Diving provides work permits and visas for this to all foreign staff. In addition, Wicked Diving pays all taxes and welfare costs as matter of standards.

SUPPLIERS – FOOD

We love food and it’s a very important part of our liveaboard experience.  So for the benefit of our guests and ourselves we aim to use local fresh ingredients and homemade products.  And let’s face it, we are lucky, Thai food uses many fresh ingredients that we can get right on our doorstep.

•    We get homemade fresh bread and cookies to die for from Sara at our very own Wicked Cafe…. Find out more
•    Gai and Sam at BaanSanFan Orphanage provide us with super tasty pineapple jam and honey from the mountain villages….. Find out more We have also donated chickens to the orphanage so that next season they can supply organic eggs to our liveaboards! That’s 300 eggs a week, for 26 weeks, at 8 baht an egg – pure income for the orphanage to develop their work further and continue job creation.

SUPPLIERS – PRODUCTS

It can sometimes be a bit trikey in Thailand, but where we have a choice we use ethical and responsible suppliers that produce products that are at least one of the following: Locally made; Organic; Made from natural ingredients; Chemical Free; Reuseable.  We are constantly reviewing our supply chain and seek to work in partnership with local organisations to develop better and smarter products.

• Gai and Sam at BaanSanFan Orphanage provide us with soaps made from natural ingredients.  We are currently working with them to develop shower wash and conditioner ….. Find out more
• Our cleaning supplies are made by the only “green” certified supplier in Thailand, BoomGreen find out more
• The linens for our boats are made by ******  in Thailand from unbleached organic cotton ….find out more
• The paper in our shop is from farmed trees

GUEST GIFTING SCHEME

We have always given a percentage of our profits to support local projects, however in season 2011/2012 we will be asking our guests to decide which projects they want the money to support. Our Guest Gifting Scheme link will ensure all contributions go directly to one of three projects in the locally community and environment.

EDUCATION

At Wicked education is an integral part of what we do as we feel we have a responsibility to encourage mutual education and learning between ourselves, our guests and the local community.

•    We work in partnership with GHRE, a local school for children of migrant Burmese laborers, and BaanSanFan Orphanage running educational programmes and beach clean ups for the children
•    We currently support an intern from BaanSanFan in the office and café.  We hope to offer more internships in the future
•    Training new dive professionals through our Dive Master Training programme link is an important part of our Wicked philosophy.  Each 6 week programme includes 3 days dedicated to working on an environmental project, making it a very unique experience.
•    Staff can develop their skills through work and education. As well as running regular Dive Professional courses, next season all staff will complete reef monitoring and instructor courses.
•    Guests also get the opportunity to participate in educational courses.  These include regular dive courses and more importantly specific marine conservation projects if they so wish.  This includes specialist liveaboard educational trips, participating in free coral reef data collection programmes, and capturing ever valuable data on mantas.  See here for more information
•    Information on all our responsible tourism activities are available for guests to read about around our boats and in our ‘green’ information packs

Wicked Diving – Plans for 2011/2012

• For next season (2011/12) we are delighted to start stocking organic fresh ingredients from PuraOrganic, a new supplier of organic-only produce from local farms in our part of Thailand.…..
• Expand our partnership with BaanSanFan and GHRE to develop new projects and potential income streams for the programs
• Monitor donations to our Guest Gifting Scheme and report results online
• Switch out as many lights sources to LED
• Source recycled woods for repairs and upgrades to boats.
• Complete our unique Carbon offsetting plans.

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So there’s a taster of what we do here at Wicked. In our experience, this isn’t difficult, it’s fun.  As ever, if you have any questions or want to know more about anything we do please drop us a line, it would be great to hear from you.