A baby blacktip reef shark washed up dead on a beach in Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Leh, an island made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach.

The incident happens almost four months after Thai authorities shut down the beach to halt environmental damage caused by tourists.

Footage taken on October 16 shows dozens of blacktip reef sharks swimming at Maya Bay, where the baby shark was later found dead with its head stuck in an empty rice bag.

Diving instructor Andrew Hewett found the stranded creature floating in the waters around Maya Bay on the island of Koh Phi Phi Ley, Thailand. ‘’The shark's head was poking through a tiny opening in the white canvas sack that would have once been used to sell rice. The shark drowned after getting stuck in the bag and being unable to swim,’’ he said.

Tragically, it comes just weeks after environmentalists were overjoyed after seeing dozens of blacktip reef sharks swimming in the area for the first time since it was closed to the public in May this year due to the damaging environmental effects of tourism.

Wildlife officials are now investigating how the shark died as they continue their efforts to reverse the damage ravaged upon the island by more than one million tourists visiting it each year.

Footage taken on October 16 shows dozens of blacktip reef sharks swimming at Maya Bay, four months after the popular beach was closed to tourists. The dead shark was found there at the weekend.

This heartbreaking picture shows a baby blacktip reef shark that was found dead after getting its head stuck in an empty rice bag on a beach made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Diving instructor Andrew Hewett found the stranded creature floating in the waters around Maya Bay on the island of Koh Phi Phi Ley, Thailand, at the weekend.

He said the the shark had ''found dead in a bag at Maya Bay''.

Its head was poking through a tiny opening in the white canvas sack that would have once been used to sell rice. The shark drowned after getting stuck in the bag and being unable to swim.

Tragically, it comes just weeks after environmentalists were overjoyed after seeing dozens of blacktip reef sharks swimming in the area for the first time since it was closed to the public in May this year due to the damaging environmental effects of tourism.

Idyllic Maya Bay became one of the world’s most popular beaches after it was made famous by the 2000 film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Wildlife officials are now investigating how the shark died as they continue their efforts to reverse the damage ravaged upon the island by more than one million tourists visiting it each year.