1 minute ago, sahibji said:

surprised about the fatal accident in this low period - negligence?

Thainess ????

1 hour ago, Gweiloman said:

I hope the relevant authorities will immediately launch an investigation and bring to book the guilty party/parties. Nothing less than a long term jail sentence as well as severe fine for the company involved. Better yet, shutting the company down and banning the directors as well. 

 

Machismo, ignorance, lax regulations, and fast boats make a pretty deadly cocktail.  The LOS will kill its own tourism industry.  Throw in a mass shooting (by a government soldier no less), massive water and air pollution, and watch the numbers plunge, TAT.  Sabai Sabai!

I've been on a few of these boat trips and last year my friends came over for a holiday with 2 kids and they were not allowed in the front of the boat.

Im guessing these kids were in the front of the boat going off the damage

Another sad day in Amazing T. Condolences for the losses of life, and health.

 

~o:37;

Well there goes the Russians now. Who's left ? Chinese NADA! Indian's? Well maybe. Maybe not. 

This place is down right DANGEROUS! OR ? Disrespectful to non Thai's.  What's their exit strategy ?

2 hours ago, Titan1962 said:

The land of smiles.

Slowly turning into the Land of stupidity.

Slowly?

Idiots on the roads, and now it seems on the costal waters 

 

Disgusting, utterly disgusting repugnant ignorant pond life in charge of vehicles and now speed boats ( not forgetting ‘zip lines, ATV, etc, etc)

 

Then again pay peanuts one will attract those deep cave dwellers 

did the drivers do a swimmer?

56 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Doubt they had helmsman paper.  Most are just young guys having a good time. 

Without papers they will not be allowed to leave. This is checked regularly.

Poor kids 

This is sad but unfortunately these sort of accidents are far too frequent. 

I navigate this channel regularly.  The speed limit is clearly stated as 5 knots.  Its terrifying trying to drive your boat out in it, and i've already seen the boats almost hit each other and end up in the trees.  its a tidal mangrove river into the yacht club and at low tide there is barely enough water for the speed boats to get in.   If they slow down they will get stuck on the mud, and as the water lowers, the width of the channel narrows.  The other day i was slowly coming out at that exact spot and there was a speed boat coming in at an excess of 25 knots.  There is barely any room in the channel and the boat boy is screaming at me to get out of the way as they race in at full sticks.  Both of these boats were speeding in the channel. Its getting completely out of control as there are more and more of these boats every year, and the companies struggle to find competent captains who know the waters of the area. 

Yes quite obviously just way, WAY too fast ! and also Inattentive. ... I see no marine traffic lanes marked around Phuket, on the charts that I could find just looking briefly, ... (TIT ?) .... but I briefly found the Straights of Melaka shipping charts, and the traffic rules are like driving in Europe or America, You pass on the right, e.g. Port to Port for boats, which does stick in my my mind as what it should be, from my memories. ... (Just being a navigator, on the Technical crew on an off shore Oil exploration vessels for 25 years.) ...

 

Also I remember going up the pearl River in Southern China also one time, as a Tourist, and they were Passing Port to Port as standard, ... BUT, with Rivers of course, with sharp bends, and Currents etc they had their own system also of having Red or probably green flags on the side of their vessel that they expected to pass the approaching vessel on.

 

So well, either of them could have been on the wrong side I guess ? ....  But the Guy coming in to the picture from our end, looks like he was in the wrong, (I think) ... As he seemed to be going much faster, and it looked like he had fingered out that there was a problem, just way to late, and WAS trying to get over to his right, ... but was as you say, going Way WAY too fast, ...  so hit the nose of the other Boat at that speed. 

 

I will look again but also if the approaching boat was in the wrong position, cutting the corner off, to save time ? ... Like he should have been more to his right ! ....  Then he was in the wrong also, as the approaching boat would be running out of water, if he was forced to move over much further to his right !!! .... 

 

.... Yes re re-watching it, I would say that they both were in the wrong lanes, but the bigger looking boat coming from our direction, was going much faster, and probably did the wrong thing when he realized that the Situation was just a total <Deleted> Up. .... But he probably was not in the wrong lane, the one coming towards us look like it was.

 

Maybe some one who knows will tell me that there are NO proper Lanes of passing rules in Thailand ? Right ??? Har Har ... Yes TIT. and RIP the Russian Children ! ...  What just a Totally <deleted> thing to have happen on your Holiday !!! ... I would arrest BOTH drivers, as I think that they both were in the wrong, the approaching boat on the wrong side, ... and the one from our direction just going Way to fast. ... 

Safty first is the main caretaking in Thailand for thais and visitors,isn't it??

But also the next way to keep foreigners stay away from Thailand. Best don't travel in the country, stay away from any activities and you can more easy survive your vacations and get not ripped off all the time!

3 hours ago, gunderhill said:

Can't  drive on  land cant drive  on the water, want to fly  with them?

Why not, does THAI employ Phuket speedboat drivers as pilots?  Something out of the ordinary with THAI's safety record?

My hope is for Russia to ban their citizens from coming to this madhouse of boaters, drivers and politicians.

9 minutes ago, manhood said:

Best don't travel in the country, stay away from any activities and you can more easy survive your vacations and get not ripped off all the time!

99% of visitors to Thailand would wonder what you're talking about as they don't have any problems surviving here.  Just as in most other countries.

23 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Without papers they will not be allowed to leave. This is checked regularly.

 

Yes ... but who checks the checkers. We all know a brown envelope containing cash solves all paperwork 'irregularities'. 

51 minutes ago, alzack said:

No dont, fly with them dont, go on a boat with them, dont go on a bus with them, dont ride a bike with them, go another country is safest

Google Thai airways flight 365. Where the captain killed everyone on board racing to land before another aircraft then stalling his aircraft into the sea just off Phucket.

 

RIP 

Just now, LivinginKata said:

23 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Without papers they will not be allowed to leave. This is checked regularly.

 

Yes ... but who checks the checkers. We all know a brown letter solves all paperwork 'irregularities'. 

Yes, a "brown letter" [sic] is the answer to everything.  Brown letter?

2 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Yes, a "brown letter" [sic] is the answer to everything.  Brown letter?

 

Already edited to 'envelope' before you posted

11 minutes ago, maprao said:

Google Thai airways flight 365. Where the captain killed everyone on board racing to land before another aircraft then stalling his aircraft into the sea just off Phucket.

 

Why dig up an irrelevant air accident that happened 33 years ago with your incomplete assessment of what actually happened?  No other countries have had accidents since then?

Tragic and unfortunately totally foreseeable.I have operated large draft vessels in that channel for over a decade.It is amazing it doesn’t happen more often.A few years ago there was a boat similar to the one involved in today’s tragedy high and dry some 200 meters into the Trees at the entrance to Royal Phuket Marina.

There needs to be a enforceable 6 knot speed limit till the boats clear the channel.The speedboat operators apart from lack of seamanship often ignore the the most basic principle of the Col Regs ie Pass Port to Port.RIP.

4 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

7 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Yes, a "brown letter" [sic] is the answer to everything.  Brown letter?

 

Already edited to 'envelope' before you posted

You couldn't have done that before I posted, if you had I wouldn't have been able to quote your "brown letter" reference!

My (Thai) wife's response when I told her about this: "It's nothing to do with me."

Very sad situation..... RIP little ones......

It's sad enough that they continue to kill themselves and others at the rate of 60+ every day on the roads.

But when they kill the tourists like this....

Its incomprehensible. 

What were they doing?

Playing chicken?

 

Phuket is definitely not the place to be. 

And the rest of Thailand is following a close second. 

6 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

My (Thai) wife's response when I told her about this: "It's nothing to do with me."

I must of married her sister....... I once asked the Mrs what she thought about UFOs ? She replied it was nothing to do with her and not my business......... That was the first and last time i ventured away from the subject of food.........    

8 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

My (Thai) wife's response when I told her about this: "It's nothing to do with me."

You too?

I get that all the time.

Especially when I mention a member of her family. 

"Its nothing to do with me".