Russian tourist, 28, drowns on day trip to Racha Island

[webfact]

Russian tourist, 28, drowns on day trip to Racha Island

By Eakkapop Thongtub

 

The 28-year-old Russian man was on an island tour to Patok Bay, Racha Yai Island. Photo: allochka22ru / Flickr

 

PHUKET: A 28-year-old Russian tourist drowned while snorkelling on a day tour to Pakok Bay at Racha Yai Island, south of Phuket, yesterday afternoon (Nov 27).

 

Capt Weerayut Tanyasirisukvorakul of the Chalong Police Station reported that he was informed of the incident at 2:30pm.

 

Capt Weerayut identified the drowned tourist Ruslan Asaupov, 28, from the city of Orenburg, near the Kazakhstan border.

Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/russian-tourist-28-drowns-on-day-trip-to-racha-island-73783.php#uS0zTYs8O2gS316A.99 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2019-11-28

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[Scot123]

This is almost daily. When will they start taking responsibility? (never) Tour operators need to be qualified in operating procedures and tours monitoring of every tourist under their charge with staff to tourist levels for safety not profit and real professional lifeguards employed all year/career jobs. 

[AtlasAus]

9 minutes ago, Scot123 said:

When will they start taking responsibility?

When will people start taking responsibility for themselves ? <deleted> if you can't swim don't go in the water.... It's not rocket science. 

 

I can't fly a plane, so I let a pilot do that for me. Easy really.

 

Back in the old days it was called 'natural selection'..... Like common sense, self responsible people are thin on the ground...

[sammieuk1]

In all probability people could drown in the shower here yet alone the sea????Rip 

[owenm]

Anyone snorkeling here should be paired up with a buddy when in the water.. Too many solo drownings even when on a group tour.. And the tour guide should be vigilant and watching everyone, and not gazing on their phone, but doing their job.. 

[MeePeeMai]

Unfortunately, it's a problem where ever you have tourists that are snorkeling, swimming or diving in the ocean.  It just seems that it is a difficult situation to tackle in Thailand as well as other tourist areas around the world.  Bali has similar problems (for example).

 

Hawaii gets approximately 1/3 the amount of tourists that Thailand gets annually (9.3 million in 2017 vs Thailand's approx. 30 million).

Of 206 snorkeling-related deaths over the past decade (in Hawaii), 189 were non-residents, according to the latest state Department of Health data.   The numbers have only increased over time. Between 1994 and 1998, only 19 people drowned while snorkeling. That soared to 103 non-residents drowning while snorkeling between 2014 and 2018.

 

There was an average of 71 drownings per year between 2009 and 2018, according to the latest data. Galanis said it is trending upward as more visitors come to Hawaii, highlighting 85 drownings in each of the past two years — more than half of which were tourists.

 

Hawaii has some of the best trained Lifeguards in the world and all boat and snorkeling tour guides must be CPR/First Aid certified (and most have a lifeguard certificate as well) but the drownings persist and continue to rise. 

 

Link for Hawaii stats mentioned above:  https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/07/drownings-are-on-the-rise-as-tourism-surges-in-hawaii/

 

[CNXexpat]

I guess the Russian was sick or got too much sun. It´s not so easy to drown in a flat sea during snorkeling.

[falang07]

or a jellyfish

[Scot123]

3 hours ago, AtlasAus said:

When will people start taking responsibility for themselves ? <deleted> if you can't swim don't go in the water.... It's not rocket science. 

 

I can't fly a plane, so I let a pilot do that for me. Easy really.

 

Back in the old days it was called 'natural selection'..... Like common sense, self responsible people are thin on the ground...

Typical blame the victim rather than taking responsibility. Are you really that dumb? You can be the best swimmer in the world and drown, phew! Do you even understand the science of near surface drowning? That is why tourists need to be watched correctly by tour operators taking snorkeling tours out. OMG! I remember searching for a young, fit and newly qualified Dive master who disappeared while skindiving/snorkeling his body never found. Snorkeling/skin diving is very, very dangerous yet its treated in Thailand like a day at the swimming pool (which also should have an onduty lifeguard). Wow just blame the tourist. Before you start poo, pooing what does he know I was a Master Scuba Diving Instructor with over 300 dives around Kow Tow alone. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Scot123 said:

This is almost daily. When will they start taking responsibility? (never) Tour operators need to be qualified in operating procedures and tours monitoring of every tourist under their charge with staff to tourist levels for safety not profit and real professional lifeguards employed all year/career jobs. 

Go for a swim in the ocean & you're on your own... your choice.

[torturedsole]

Just now, hotchilli said:

Go for a swim in the ocean & you're on your own... your choice.

Swimming in a pool isn't without risk either, obviously.  I just can't see how a tour guide could possibly supervise multiple snorkelers that are underwater simultaneously.  It's a dangerous sport and you pays your money and takes your choice.  He could have drowned due to drink or drugs, a funny turn, inexperience, an epileptic fit or a multitude of alternative reasons.  

 

I take responsibility for myself when making decisions that involve the potential to leave this mortal coil prematurely which is pretty much every waking moment in this life.  

[jany123]

15 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Go for a swim in the ocean & you're on your own... your choice.

If your part of a tour group on a paid for and organized outing, you are not on your own. The tour group has a duty of care to get you home safely.

 

i see some posters waffling about “you pays your money, you takes your chances”....: this is rubbish of the highest order... you pays your money for a service, and herein is what amounts to negligence on the part of the tour operator.

 

the last time I was on an organized (scuba) dive, we had a 3:1 supervision rate. Same same in the US, where I was working as a climbing guide in the early 90’s... If the tour company cannot provide proper and adequate professional supervision, they should not be offering a tour service.

 

 

 

this type of thing happens when the tourist industry lacks regulations and standards, which is a governmental failure, riding on the back of the tour organizers obvious negligence.

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

I guess the Russian was sick or got too much sun. It´s not so easy to drown in a flat sea during snorkeling.

Personally, I don't understand why so many people drown whilst snorkelling.  I'm not the world's strongest swimmer but I've snorkelled all over the tropics, sometimes in quite rough water.  If you have a decent mask which doesn't let in water, and proper fins, you just float.  It requires a lot less energy than actually swimming.

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, jany123 said:

this type of thing happens when the tourist industry lacks regulations and standards, which is a governmental failure, riding on the back of the tour organizers obvious negligence.

Like I said: you're on your own.

This is Thailand, they want your money and not interested in  safety, precautions, responsibility, liability... just look back over a few decades & see the numbers of tourists who've been injured or killed while on holiday.

Has anything changed?

There lays your answer.

 

[AtlasAus]

15 hours ago, Scot123 said:

Typical blame the victim rather than taking responsibility.

Really...

 

<deleted>. There is only ONE person in charge of you. That is you. It seems typical of this generation that there must be someone to blame instead of taking ownership.

15 hours ago, Scot123 said:

Before you start poo, pooing what does he know I was a Master Scuba Diving Instructor with over 300 dives around Kow Tow alone. 

This is totally different. You are doing a job and it is your responsibility to take care of those you take with you. 

 

I live near one of the best coastlines in the world, we have 1000's of lifeguards that try to look after our countrymen and tourists alike. We still have drownings. At the end of the day you have to be responsible for your own actions. 

[Tropposurfer]

19 hours ago, MeePeeMai said:

Unfortunately, it's a problem where ever you have tourists that are snorkeling, swimming or diving in the ocean.  It just seems that it is a difficult situation to tackle in Thailand as well as other tourist areas around the world.  Bali has similar problems (for example).

 

Hawaii gets approximately 1/3 the amount of tourists that Thailand gets annually (9.3 million in 2017 vs Thailand's approx. 30 million).

Of 206 snorkeling-related deaths over the past decade (in Hawaii), 189 were non-residents, according to the latest state Department of Health data.   The numbers have only increased over time. Between 1994 and 1998, only 19 people drowned while snorkeling. That soared to 103 non-residents drowning while snorkeling between 2014 and 2018.

 

There was an average of 71 drownings per year between 2009 and 2018, according to the latest data. Galanis said it is trending upward as more visitors come to Hawaii, highlighting 85 drownings in each of the past two years — more than half of which were tourists.

 

Hawaii has some of the best trained Lifeguards in the world and all boat and snorkeling tour guides must be CPR/First Aid certified (and most have a lifeguard certificate as well) but the drownings persist and continue to rise. 

 

Link for Hawaii stats mentioned above:  https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/07/drownings-are-on-the-rise-as-tourism-surges-in-hawaii/

 

Wow that's huge numbers huh! I agree with your overview of training andf competency MPrai. We get some drownings in Oz but nothing like that. I was a lifey for many years in Sydney northern beaches then just up the coast a-ways and we rescued a lot of folks that were seriously on the way to potential, or actual drownings. You gotta have good training (regular checking of capabilities), solid staff numbers, great and up to date equipment.