Bandon Bay (, , ) is a
bay in the
Gulf of Thailand
The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...
in
Surat Thani Province, extending from the Sui cape in
Chaiya District in the northwest to
Kanchanadit District to the east. The total coastline is about 100 km. The bay is dominated by the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
of the rivers
Tapi and
Phum Duang. The islands of
Ko Samui,
Ko Pha Ngan and
Ko Tao enclose the bay on its eastern side.
The bay is relatively shallow, with water depths ranging from one to five meters. Along the coast are
mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...
s owing to the high rate of
sedimentation
Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...
, which were naturally overgrown with
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...
(
''Sonneratia'' spp.,
''Rhizophora'' spp.), but now mostly replaced by
shrimp farms.
References
External links
Reversing Environmental Damage through Community Focused Sustainable Livelihoods in Ban Don, Surat Thani Province Support by Mangrove for The Future
{{coord, 9, 17, N, 99, 17, E, region:TH_type:waterbody, display=title
Geography of Surat Thani province
Bays of Thailand
Gulf of Thailand