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Diving for Pearl Oysters on Tam Islet

Tam Islet is one of the four most beautiful islets in Nha Trang with a diverse maritime eco-system. The islet is an ideal place for swimming and diving to behold colourful coral reefs and see pearl oysters which are raised in the sea. Recently, the Provincial People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa instructed the Giang Gia Pearl Company and the Hon Tam Tourists Area to organize dive tours for pearl oysters.
To participate in these tours, tourists are taken to a diving area of over 10ha where more than one million pearl oysters are raised. Dao Ha, a cadre of Hoang Gia Pearl, said that the company always pays close attention to the security of the tourists so all diving guides were well-trained and granted a certificate from PADI. .



High-speed boats take tourists from Tam Islet to the oyster raising area.


The oyster farm of Hoang Gia Pearl on Tam Islet.


Before diving, tourists are taught the necessary skills by professional divers who were granted
with a certificate from PADI.


Tourists are taught how to breathe under water.


Each tourist is guided by a diver under water.


Tourists take photos of colourful coral reefs under the sea.


Clam are raised in the sea.


Getting an oyster to take a pearl.


Loan, a tourist, is very happy when getting an oyster.

All diving equipment is imported from Italy and meets international standards. Furthermore, tourists are also carefully taught diving skills, such as breathing in water and gestures to communicate with each other. Those, who suffered heart disease, high-blood pressure, asthma or are taking medicine, will not be allowed to participate in these tours.

For those who cannot swim, with only 15-minutes of enthusiastic instruction from the divers, they can feel confident to start their trip to the sea bed to discover the oysters. It is a really amazing experience when swimming through a forest of colourful reefs with schools of fish to the pearl oyster farm. Here tourists learn about all the stages and techniques of raising oysters for pearls. They are allowed to catch some oysters to take the pearls. After 20-minutes of diving, tourists are taken ashore and continue the trip to an area where pearls are taken from the oysters.
Loan, a tourist, was very lucky when getting a oyster which had two big and beautiful pearls. After taking the pearls from the oyster, she asked artisans to make her earrings. “I am very happy when owning these earrings. They are not only beautiful but also of great significance because these pearls come from the oyster I caught in the sea,” Loan said


Taking an pearl from the oyster.


A tourist is very lucky when her oyster has two pearls. She selects a style for making jewellery with pearls.


Selecting a  ring style with the pearl.


Tourists learn about the stages of raising oysters for pearls.


The showroom of pearl products on Tam Islet.

The Hoang Gia Pearl Company has operated tours of diving for oysters since April 25, 2015 which now attracts about 200 tourists each day. It is expected that the oyster raising area will develop into a “must see” destination for tourists to NhaTrang.
 
By Tat Son

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