Report of foreigner in surf danger highlights Phuket’s lifeguard, beach rescue crisis

The Phuket News

 

The DDPM Cherng Talay speedboat rescue team are doing the best they can, but admit they are not skilled for rescuing people from strong surf at the beaches. Photo: DDPM Cherng Talay

 

PHUKET: A report of a foreign man missing in the water at Layan Beach yesterday afternoon has shone a bright light on the critical need for trained lifeguards to patrol Phuket’s beaches and for rescue teams to receive proper training in how to handle such reports and act accordingly.

 

The alarm was raised yesterday afternoon (May 8) by a foreign woman living in the nearby Man Tawan housing estate who reported seeing a man with “fair-skin” and black hair in the water.

 

“She said that a strong wave about two metres tall hit the man, but she did not see him resurface,” explained Wirut Saman, an official at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office at the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor).

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/report-of-foreigner-in-surf-danger-highlights-phuket-lifeguard-beach-rescue-crisis-67048.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2018-05-09

 

It shows this is not one type of job a Thai can do. It would be better to employ Olympic grade foreigners that understand the ways of the seas and oceans. Thais do not have the knowledge and skills foreigners have acquired over many decades and neither are they as athletic as foreigners.

1 hour ago, William C F Pierce said:

It shows this is not one type of job a Thai can do. It would be better to employ Olympic grade foreigners that understand the ways of the seas and oceans. Thais do not have the knowledge and skills foreigners have acquired over many decades and neither are they as athletic as foreigners.

You could say that about most skills and knowledge that the Thais are lacking in.they would rather let tourist die and save face than employ farang.

1 hour ago, William C F Pierce said:

It shows this is not one type of job a Thai can do. It would be better to employ Olympic grade foreigners that understand the ways of the seas and oceans. Thais do not have the knowledge and skills foreigners have acquired over many decades and neither are they as athletic as foreigners.

Sad, nonsense comment.

1 hour ago, William C F Pierce said:

It shows this is not one type of job a Thai can do. It would be better to employ Olympic grade foreigners that understand the ways of the seas and oceans. Thais do not have the knowledge and skills foreigners have acquired over many decades and neither are they as athletic as foreigners.

Olympic grade.  That sounds prohibitively expensive. 

 

The Thais can do it, they just need the training, conditioning, and a funding commitment from higher level of the Thai Government.

 

Aussies are quite good and nearby.  Believe they've done some training here before.  Indonesia as well.

On 13/05/2018 at 12:32 PM, stevenl said:

Sad, nonsense comment.

You try proving that Thais have the qualifying skills for this. You can't. I write from the knowledge of being an ex-surfer of over 20 years experience. It is more that you are the one with a "Sad nonsense comment".

On 13/05/2018 at 12:35 PM, 55Jay said:

Olympic grade.  That sounds prohibitively expensive. 

 

The Thais can do it, they just need the training, conditioning, and a funding commitment from higher level of the Thai Government.

 

Aussies are quite good and nearby.  Believe they've done some training here before.  Indonesia as well.

"prohibitively expensive."? It depends how much you think a persons life is worth and whether you are a good Buddhist or not.

I think they just need to re hire the lifeguards they let go. Problem solved. Pay them the extra bht a day they were asking.

Put the damn governer in the surf on a soon to be stormy day in phuket. If he survives then he can negotiate the amount to pay.

Surfing in the area is similar to renting a jet-ski in Thailand...just don't (until they learn to respect tourists and their money a bit more )

On 5/13/2018 at 6:19 PM, happy chappie said:

You could say that about most skills and knowledge that the Thais are lacking in.they would rather let tourist die and save face than employ farang.

Absolute rubbish.

On 5/13/2018 at 5:50 PM, William C F Pierce said:

It shows this is not one type of job a Thai can do. It would be better to employ Olympic grade foreigners that understand the ways of the seas and oceans. Thais do not have the knowledge and skills foreigners have acquired over many decades and neither are they as athletic as foreigners.

what utter <deleted>. not as athletic. sigh.

and the whole discussion predicated on the fact the guy was surfing. 

surfing is mentioned nowhere in the article, it simply says he was in surf.

 

58 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Absolute rubbish.

Are the beaches covered by properly trained life guards the answer no.will farang be bought in to cover this problem,answer never ever,'that would be a loss of face.are there tourist drowning on the beaches of Phuket ???? If you turned up with a bus load of international life guards and asked if they could patrol the beaches until they got their own guards sorted out you would likely be attacked.they removed Thai voluntary guards the other week and left the beaches unmanned. it just shows what regard they have for tourist safety or life.

1 minute ago, happy chappie said:

Are the beaches covered by properly trained life guards the answer no.will farang be bought in to cover this problem,answer never ever,'that would be a loss of face.are there tourist drowning on the beaches of Phuket ???? If you turned up with a bus load of international life guards and asked if they could patrol the beaches until they got their own guards sorted out you would likely be attacked.they removed Thai voluntary guards the other week and left the beaches unmanned. it just shows what regard they have for tourist safety or life.

Aw, poor baby doesn't feel comfortable with Thai trained lifeguards and wants only farangs to do the job, are you sure you're in the right country pal!

12 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Aw, poor baby doesn't feel comfortable with Thai trained lifeguards and wants only farangs to do the job, are you sure you're in the right country pal!

Thanks  for the answers to my questions.i don't go to the beaches as I live in udon and have a pool thanks.i don't give two hoots who  mans the beaches but someone should.your reply has totally side lined any of my questions I put to you with a silly little boys attitude.oh and by the way I ain't your pal and you've probably not ever had one.

How arrogant and self-centred is it that posters think only western lifeguards are up to the task of acting as lifeguards on Thai beaches, only they can be trained, have the ability and are suitable for the task, my god man, where do you think you get off!

6 hours ago, William C F Pierce said:

"prohibitively expensive."? It depends how much you think a persons life is worth and whether you are a good Buddhist or not.

I think it's clear how much value the local municipality guys put on human life there.  Buddhism isn't a factor.