The highest reward in an athlete's career is winning an Olympic medal or a world championship. For marine conservationists, a similar success is witnessing a whale shark returning to feed in a restored area.
Nittakan Hemin, a marine researcher who enjoys diving as a hobby and has spent years helping to restore degraded coral reefs around Koh Tao, Surat Thani, achieved that pedestal moment.
For her, the sight of the gentle giant gliding through waters once devastated by bleaching was more than a personal triumph -- it was proof the ocean can heal when given a chance.
