Squid Boat Fishing Fleet leaving Phuket

If this is the first time in Phuket or Thailand you will be walking along the beach at night and wondering what they green glow is all along the horizon. If you have been before you will know it is the squid boat fishing fleets out on the hunt for that Thai delicacy you will see hanging from the side of salangs (motorbike with makeshift sidecar) and on market stalls. Dried and flattened squid. The lights are strung out along the outriggers to attract the squid which are then scooped up in huge nets also dropped from the extended arms you can see in the photo above. These boats reached the news a few years ago when the glow in the night time sky was white, from standard, high powered halide lamps. These were creating a huge amount of light pollution, confusing migratory birds and CO2 emmissions were way above acceptable from the onboard generators needed to power them. Fortunately the newer, green lamps were developed which are neon/fluorescent powered which are far more energy efficient, cause less light pollution and actually penetrate the water far more effectively without being reflected back. Most squid boats on Phuket have now converted to these eco friendly lamps... more for the fact that they last longer and work out cheaper to run rather than in an effort to save the planet if we are honest!

They again hit the news in 2018 as NASA has been publishing images from its Space Station showing massive blotches of green light off the coast of Bangkok leading to speculations about Algal blooms, secret gamma ray testing sites, underwater aliens on holiday in the Gulf of Thailand... of course no, it's the squid boat fishing fleets out for a nights work. Read more here

So, Villa Oriole not only provides you with the perfect holiday villa in Phuket and lovely free photographs to remind you of your trip it also gives you some fascinating myth busting facts you can go home and amaze your friends with... who could ask for more?