Old Aussie couple ignore red flag at Phuket's Kamala beach - wife pays with her life

[webfact]

Old Aussie couple ignore red flag at Phuket's Kamala beach - wife pays with her life

 

Picture: Daily News

 

PHUKET: -- An Australian woman drowned after an aging couple ignored no swimming flags and went for a dip on Sunday afternoon.

 

Lifeguards said a large wave carried off both Ivan Fichtrovic, 75, and his wife Barbara, 65.

 

The lifeguards managed to save the husband but it took longer to locate the wife and bring her to shore.

 

Despite CPR performed by Kamala Rescue and tourists helping out she was already dead when an ambulance arrived to take her to Patong hospital.

 

The incident happened opposite the Kamala police station and lifeguards told police that the tourists had entered the water despite there being red flags forbidding swimming due to the stormy weather and high waves.

 

They said a large wave carried the couple out and only the husband could be saved, reported Daily News.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-09-18

[sandrabbit]

This is getting ridiculous the amounts of tourists ignoring warnings and paying with their lives, it seems there's a death announced every few days.

[ICECOOL]

RIP. Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

[Inepto Cracy]

I asked a five year old thai child, if they see a red flag flying what does it mean?  She told me that it means you cant go there.

If anybody with an IQ above that of a five year old child knows red flags mean danger, then older persons should know better. RIP lady but the sea is unforgiving when it comes to blatant disregard for the rules of life.

[holy cow cm]

I swam down in Phuket same area about 17 years ago with red flags and it took me a good 30 minutes to get back in. The weak will succumb. Needs to be better warning than that as I did not notice until back on the beach.  

[joecoolfrog]

1 hour ago, ICECOOL said:

RIP. Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

Far more likely that their over confidence bordered on arrogance.

[Chris Lawrence]

Sad to hear. Needless death. Red means danger to me. Condolences to Ivan and their families.

[Goong Ying]

1 hour ago, ICECOOL said:

RIP. Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

TRUE mate,  its sad  but there's soooo much publicity on Oz TV about warnings but if he is Russian perhaps has not been watching TV about  flags?        Or colour blind? Red appears to be blue??

The statistics here in Oz released recently about foreigners rescued/drowning on Oz beaches are quite alarming.

Mostly Asians outside the flags or un-patrolled beaches.

B.T.W.    Joecoolfrog--- I was tempted to mention arrogance played a part more than ignorance.

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by Goong Ying

[dinsdale]

Flags are there for a very good reason. Ignore them at your own peril. Having said this flags obviously aren't enough warning for some. Needs to be surf patrols. Even then some will still ignore.

[SoulWater]

1 hour ago, Inepto Cracy said:

I asked a five year old thai child, if they see a red flag flying what does it mean?  She told me that it means you cant go there.

If anybody with an IQ above that of a five year old child knows red flags mean danger, then older persons should know better. RIP lady but the sea is unforgiving when it comes to blatant disregard for the rules of life.

Bit harsh to start talking about the ladies IQ when she has died perhaps they genuinely missed the flags though after living in Kamala previously they are usually fairly obvious

[Monkeyrobot]

Feel sorry for the old bloke loosing his wife while on holiday .

[phuketrichard]

be very hard to miss the flags on Kamala

i go down every day in the late afternoon and swim

BUT,  if one does not know how rips and currents work and are not familiar with the beach,  you would be  a fool to go in when the red flags are up.

[lvr181]

2 hours ago, ICECOOL said:

RIP. Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

Not every Aussie has a name similar to "Ivan Fichtrovic" either. Perhaps they were 'new' Australians.

R.I.P.

[Argus Tuft]

7 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

Not every Aussie has a name similar to "Ivan Fichtrovic" either. Perhaps they were 'new' Australians.

R.I.P.

Nonsense. There are generations of Australians with European surnames.

[lvr181]

2 minutes ago, Argus Tuft said:

Nonsense. There are generations of Australians with European surnames.

Then they should have been aware of what the red flags mean - there has been plenty of information on TV programs over the years.

[connda]

As far as I'm concerned, it's up to the individual what they wish to risk.  

[DrDave]

6 minutes ago, connda said:

As far as I'm concerned, it's up to the individual what they wish to risk.  

Except that they're not risking only their life, but the lives of the lifeguards who may have to enter into the rip tide to save them.

[tryasimight]

1 hour ago, joecoolfrog said:

Far more likely that their over confidence bordered on arrogance.

Fair comment.......what's your excuse?

[Pilotman]

2 hours ago, ICECOOL said:

RIP. Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

you dont have to live near a beach to know that a red flag means danger or stop.  You just need  some common sense, which this couple clearly didn't have. 

[falkirk]

2 hours ago, joecoolfrog said:

Far more likely that their over confidence bordered on arrogance.

Hero comment of the day.  Slow hand clap for you.

[falkirk]

1 hour ago, DrDave said:

Except that they're not risking only their life, but the lives of the lifeguards who may have to enter into the rip tide to save them.

Judgemental Dr Dave.  Well done Dave.  Do you parents know you're a pedant?

[roo860]

Judgemental Dr Dave.  Well done Dave.  Do you parents know you're a pedant?

 

Dr Dave made a true and fair comment.

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[willr]

The beaches in Australia you swim between the flags,the life safer would put them out because of the rips.

that's what they where probably doing ,not realising that here its a warning of don't swim there. RIP,lady.

[samsensam]

 

i'm surprised at this, my sister lives in australia they seem to me to be more aware than most people about beach safety; swimming where it's safe, rips, sharks, skin cancer...

[Zack61]

5 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I swam down in Phuket same area about 17 years ago with red flags and it took me a good 30 minutes to get back in. The weak will succumb. Needs to be better warning than that as I did not notice until back on the beach.  

I found myself in a similar situation many years ago in Bali. 

After an hour or so I gave up and resigned myself to dying. I sank to the bottom which unbeknown to me was only 2 to 3 metres below. When I touched bottom I kicked off propelling myself toward the beach. After doing this many dozens of time I was able to reach the beach. It really was so easy. Not sure how deep the water is at Kamala beach but it is a technique I tell others to adopt. 

First thing if in trouble is check if water is skalliw enough to do this. It takes a lot of energy to swim against currents and this took SO little energy to save myself. 

[holy cow cm]

2 hours ago, Zack61 said:

I found myself in a similar situation many years ago in Bali. 

After an hour or so I gave up and resigned myself to dying. I sank to the bottom which unbeknown to me was only 2 to 3 metres below. When I touched bottom I kicked off propelling myself toward the beach. After doing this many dozens of time I was able to reach the beach. It really was so easy. Not sure how deep the water is at Kamala beach but it is a technique I tell others to adopt. 

First thing if in trouble is check if water is skalliw enough to do this. It takes a lot of energy to swim against currents and this took SO little energy to save myself. 

Meters out for my swim was below head level with the sand bar. You have a point though. It was the continua's undertow that was draining. Not the first time. JUST Don't fight it.

[ALFREDO]

18 hours ago, ICECOOL said:

Not every Aussie lives near the beach so may not have understood or recognised the danger.

 

18 hours ago, Inepto Cracy said:

I asked a five year old thai child, if they see a red flag flying what does it mean?  She told me that it means you cant go there.

If anybody with an IQ above that of a five year old child knows red flags mean danger, then older persons should know better. 

 

18 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

 Needs to be better warning than that as I did not notice until back on the beach.  

 

16 hours ago, lvr181 said:

Not every Aussie has a name similar to "Ivan Fichtrovic" either. Perhaps they were 'new' Australians.

R.I.P.

 

15 hours ago, Pilotman said:

you dont have to live near a beach to know that a red flag means danger or stop.  You just need  some common sense, which this couple clearly didn't have. 

They had been old enough 65 and 75 and should have had enough life experience and knowledge. 

[holy cow cm]

7 minutes ago, ALFREDO said:

 

 

 

 

They had been old enough 65 and 75 and should have had enough life experience and knowledge. 

Senility doesn't discriminate.

[ALFREDO]

1 minute ago, holy cow cm said:

Senility doesn't discriminate.

They found their way threw many 1000 of Kilometers from Australia to Kamala - they had not been to senile for that. 

[lvr181]

"If" colour blindness was the condition leading to this lady's death, then those responsible for producing the flags should put a stylised swimmer with a strike out through it (logo) on the flag in white.

 

Just a pro-active approach to avoiding more drownings would be sensible.