Irish kiteboarder, 40, drowns at Hua Hin

[webfact]

Irish kiteboarder, 40, drowns at Hua Hin

By The Nation

 

 

An Irish tourist has drowned in the sea at Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin District after a kiteboarding accident during rough seas.

Pol Captain Jaruak Khongkarien, Hua Hin Police Station investigative officer, said on Wednesday that police received a report of a drowning in the sea near the beach at Soi Hua Hin 77. When they arrived, they found that the body of a 40-year-old tourist of Irish nationality known only his first name, “Jonathan”, had already been brought back to the beach.

 

From interviews with employees of a nearby kiteboard-hire shop, it was found that Jonathan rented a board to surf alone in the sea at noon. Not long after, tourists on the beach saw that he had made a hand signal asking for help, so shop employees rushed to save him.

 

After reaching Jonathan, the rescue team found that his leg was locked with a buoy used to designate the swimming area. It was reported that there were strong winds and waves that caused the accident and made it very difficult to free the surfer from the buoy.

 

The rescuers told police that when they finally brought Jonathan back to the shore and tried to revive him, he was already dead.

 

Investigative officers concluded that Jonathan had died before his body was brought to the shore. The body was sent to Hua Hin Hospital, while officers contacted his family to inform them of his death.

 

Tourists have been warned against playing watersports in the sea due to the dangerous conditions brought about by the northeastern monsoon and the approaching storm, Kai-Tak.

 

However, it was reported that many tourists ignored the warning and went kiteboarding at Hua Hin and Pranburi beaches, because the strong winds and waves are preferred by kiteboarders.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30334403

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-20

[NCC1701A]

RIP.

 

extremely windy and cold here.

[dotpoom]

A tragic story. For some reason, I was today thinking about all the deaths that occured as a result of the Sumani.

   What really brought it home was when a survivor later wrote that it was the "site of the empty seats on the return flight home" that made it sink in what had just happened on theit holiday.

   RIP ...to all deceased.

[Dukeleto]

Shame poor bloke, simple tragic accident with apparently no one to blame.

[irishken]

At least they blurred out the picture of his body this time. 

Look at the waves in the picture behind. 

It really doesn't look safe at all.

 

RIP. Hopefully his family found out from proper sources instead of the media

[terryofcrete]

Many tourists ignore the warnings.... and may I ask a simple question... how in the name of whoever are the people who rent these kites or whatever allowed to do so if there is adverse weather ? Will they be prosecuted for irresponsible trading ? Not a chance of course. The dangers that are acceptable , with no need at all for them to be, scares me every time I visit... and I visit quite a lot. The children on motorbikes with no helmets standing , ready to be the first to be smashed to smithereens in an accident. It makes me want to scream at the authorities, sort the obvious before you create controversy with stupid laws about beach smoking ! 

[watcharacters]

8 minutes ago, terryofcrete said:

Many tourists ignore the warnings.... and may I ask a simple question... how in the name of whoever are the people who rent these kites or whatever allowed to do so if there is adverse weather ? Will they be prosecuted for irresponsible trading ? Not a chance of course. The dangers that are acceptable , with no need at all for them to be, scares me every time I visit... and I visit quite a lot. The children on motorbikes with no helmets standing , ready to be the first to be smashed to smithereens in an accident. It makes me want to scream at the authorities, sort the obvious before you create controversy with stupid laws about beach smoking ! 

 

 

 

 

There really isn't a lot of effort made at  safety precautions in Thailand.

 

We just have to accept this as what the Thai people and the government prefer.

 

 

 

[observer90210]

We often rant at Thailand (incl. myself) for not issuing proper warnings to tourists.

 

But what are all the global embassies doing besides enjoying the juicy tax-free and other diplomatic privileges ?

 

Hopefully the embassies in Thailand do keep in touch with local hazards like roads, weather, scams  etc. ?

 

Why don't they forward the warnings to their national carriers ? The information could then be conveyed and updated with elementarily drafted pamphlets,  handed over by the national carriers to their passengers going to Thailand ?

 

 

[peter48]

In my nearly 20 years of coming to Thailand I have not experienced these temperatures or winds in HH although I know at Xmas it is always more choppy but this is I think unknown in this generally moderate area. 

 

We pass on our real deep sympathies to family and all who know him. 

Edited December 20, 2017 by peter48

[timendres]

It must be assumed that the man understood his risk, but like some, loved this particular sport and the increased exhilaration of the present conditions. I know that when I was younger, I took some chances that many considered extreme. He ultimately lost to the odds, and that is most unfortunate. But there are those of us who prefer to not have some institution define how we live and the risks we take, as long as we are not putting others at risk, which in this event appears to be the case (aside, obviously, from the rescue attempt). I do hope that he was flying high up until the moment of his unfortunate accident. And I hope those he left behind can find a way to understand his choice despite the pain of their loss.

[Fakenewsbuster]

Fake news report ?! Let’s state the correct information as discussed in other forums and Facebook pages.

He was one of us living here im Hua Hin and an experienced kite surfer. the sea and wind conditions were rough but not unusual for us and they did not represent a danger as such. He also did not rent his equipment but was using his own. There is no surveillance on the beach that day as every Wednesday (..) but it is not the issue as it happened so fast anyway.

The danger came from the  presence of buoys all along the beach which makes kitesurfing a lot more dangerous as lines can get tangled in them and the kiter can be trapped if he does not reacted very quickly and pulls the security system in time.

While the kiting community raises the issues of the dangers of these buoys many times, they were many kiters on holidays and locals sometimes not realising the threat who continued to kite.

A real drama for our community here and for the family. Please show some respect by sticking to the facts, RIP a friend.

[happysanook]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

 

 

There really isn't a lot of effort made at  safety precautions in Thailand.

 

We just have to accept this as what the Thai people and the government prefer.

 

 

 

Part of what makes Thailand so great, the lack of the nanny BS. What sucks is that Thai is now Westernizing in this regard... 

 

...This guy was far from some naive beginner...leg got caught in a buoy. Freak accident and a damn ironic shame that something meant to help thwart accidents actually ended up causing this one.

[InMyShadow]

Many tourists ignore the warnings.... and may I ask a simple question... how in the name of whoever are the people who rent these kites or whatever allowed to do so if there is adverse weather ? Will they be prosecuted for irresponsible trading ? Not a chance of course. The dangers that are acceptable , with no need at all for them to be, scares me every time I visit... and I visit quite a lot. The children on motorbikes with no helmets standing , ready to be the first to be smashed to smithereens in an accident. It makes me want to scream at the authorities, sort the obvious before you create controversy with stupid laws about beach smoking ! 

A simple answer.


The weather is unpredictable.

[farcanell]

5 hours ago, Dukeleto said:

Shame poor bloke, simple tragic accident with apparently no one to blame.

Perhaps not.... hell, wouldn’t that be nice for a change?

 

but.... if I were a coroner or investigator looking into this, I would want to have a good look at the design and placement of the buoy system in use.

 

Safety systems shouldn’t kill people, and whilst nothing can be done for this poor chap, perhaps “looking” properly may save others from hurt.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

4 hours ago, irishken said:

Look at the waves in the picture behind. 

It really doesn't look safe at all.

 

It looks like normal conditions for kitesurfing.  You can't really kitesurf without wind and when there is wind there are waves.

[SiSePuede419]

Note to self: If I ever kitesurf, carry easily accessible knife to cut buoy line, in case of entanglement.

[Colabamumbai]

8 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

Many tourists ignore the warnings.... and may I ask a simple question... how in the name of whoever are the people who rent these kites or whatever allowed to do so if there is adverse weather ? Will they be prosecuted for irresponsible trading ? Not a chance of course. The dangers that are acceptable , with no need at all for them to be, scares me every time I visit... and I visit quite a lot. The children on motorbikes with no helmets standing , ready to be the first to be smashed to smithereens in an accident. It makes me want to scream at the authorities, sort the obvious before you create controversy with stupid laws about beach smoking ! 

It's all about the money, money.

[hotchilli]

Tourists have been warned against playing water sports in the sea due to the dangerous conditions brought about by the northeastern monsoon and the approaching storm, Kai-Tak.

 

So when a rough sea warning is given why not make the "water sports" vendors STOP RENTING OUT EQUIPMENT TO ANYONE

Just an idea !

[Srikcir]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

he had made a hand signal asking for help, so shop employees rushed to save him.

 

12 hours ago, webfact said:

After reaching Jonathan, the rescue team found that his leg was locked with a buoy used to designate the swimming area.

 

12 hours ago, webfact said:

when they finally brought Jonathan back to the shore and tried to revive him, he was already dead.

Best to Johnathan's family in his death.

No mention that Jonathon was dead when the rescue team reached him. But when he was brought back to shore he was already dead.  Seems there's some missing history in the described chain of events for his rescue.

[gk10002000]

sounds a bit strange sequence wise. 

[torrzent]

49 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

sounds a bit strange sequence wise. 

Lots of contradictory info....this link says he was from Iceland

http://thairesidents.com/local/icelander-dies-hua-hin-kitesurfing-accident/

[killala]

Tragic. May God be good to him. 

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, Dukeleto said:

Shame poor bloke, simple tragic accident with apparently no one to blame.

Really?

From the OP.

 

13 hours ago, webfact said:

Jonathan rented a board to surf alone

and

Tourists have been warned against playing watersports in the sea due to the dangerous conditions brought about by the northeastern monsoon and the approaching storm, Kai-Tak.

 

However, it was reported that many tourists ignored the warning and went kiteboarding at Hua Hin and Pranburi beaches, because the strong winds and waves are preferred by kiteboarders.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Tourists have been warned against playing water sports in the sea due to the dangerous conditions brought about by the northeastern monsoon and the approaching storm, Kai-Tak.

 

So when a rough sea warning is given why not make the "water sports" vendors STOP RENTING OUT EQUIPMENT TO ANYONE

Just an idea !

Thailand is not a nanny state. Safety is in the hands of the people themselves.

[Bazza444]

13 hours ago, dotpoom said:

A tragic story. For some reason, I was today thinking about all the deaths that occured as a result of the Sumani.

   What really brought it home was when a survivor later wrote that it was the "site of the empty seats on the return flight home" that made it sink in what had just happened on theit holiday.

   RIP ...to all deceased.

Sumani ??? what the <deleted> ?

[Diamondbob]

RIP Jonathan, will miss our chats and beers

[spidermike007]

I have a number of friends who are kite boarders. None of them went out yesterday, or the day before. They all know when the conditions are too risky. This guy must have been very good to even attempt those conditions. But, nonetheless he did not make it. 

 

I understand the idea of taking risks for excitement. But, there has to be a limit. Life is rather precious. Is it really worth it? Is the excitement that valuable? Is life without the excitement that comes from living on the edge really that dull for the risk takers? 

[SteveMack]

12 hours ago, irishken said:

At least they blurred out the picture of his body this time. 

Look at the waves in the picture behind. 

It really doesn't look safe at all.

 

RIP. Hopefully his family found out from proper sources instead of the media

Yes, Tragic, But if tourists ignore warnings, why not ban shops from renting kiteboards, but of course they wont do that.

[peter48]

And today Kite Surfing is being allowed again on the beach . Protecting people from their own vulnerability is not something flippant and is not nanny state. We do it over indoor smoking at work  , driving with seat belts, drinking excessive alcohol and then driving a big car , wearing helmets , zoos and family fun parks and not letting kids and babies be carried on motor bikes and so on. The western world and many other advanced nations here in the far east do it. It is Thailand that needs to change to protect its own citizens young and old as well as young and old farang visiting or staying here.  This is the 21st century not the 19th century

Edited December 21, 2017 by peter48

[manarak]

14 minutes ago, peter48 said:

And today Kite Surfing is being allowed again on the beach . Protecting people from their own vulnerability is not something flippant and is not nanny state. We do it over indoor smoking at work  , driving with seat belts, drinking excessive alcohol and then driving a big car , wearing helmets , zoos and family fun parks and not letting kids and babies be carried on motor bikes and so on. The western world and many other advanced nations here in the far east do it. It is Thailand that needs to change to protect its own citizens young and old as well as young and old farang visiting or staying here.  This is the 21st century not the 19th century

lol

that's exactly the definition of nanny state, at least as far as bans for all are meant to protect a few, such as with safety belts and helmets.