British tourist on honeymoon in Phuket and Thai tourist who went to help him drown - they ignored red flags

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported on a double tragedy in Phuket yesterday at Kata Noi beach. It marked the end of what has been a disastrous week on Thai beaches for both foreign and Thai tourists. 

 

Yesterday British tourist on honeymoon on the holiday island and a Thai tourist who went to help him both drowned.

 

They had both been warned not to swim by the life guard on duty and a red flag was flying.

 

Lt-Col Ekkachai Siri of the tourist police was first to be informed.

 

Mr AMM, 34, had arrived on honeymoon with his new wife Mrs AAD, 30. The couple were staying at the Kata Thani hotel and had arrived on Tuesday.

 

The Thai tourist who went to help Mr AMM  after he got into difficulty in big waves was named as 55 year old Surasit who had arrived at the Kata Thani with his wife and son yesterday. 

 

Life guards on duty at the 850 m long beach went to help but were too late. 

 

Red flags were flying warning people not to swim and there were four life guards on duty through yesterday.

 

Theerawat, one of the guards had told both AMM and Surasit not to swim but they entered the water regardless. 

 

Pol Capt Kittipong Noopeng of the Karon police ordered autopsies and arranged for the embassy to be informed. 

 

Thai media 77kaoded had a slightly different version of events and reported several other near drownings on Phuket yesterday.

 

Picture: 77kaoded

 

They said that after CPR was performed on the beach both victims died on the way to hospital.

 

They had pictures of the drama unfolding as other tourists looked on.

 

They said that later two more tourists on Kata beach got into difficulties - a man and a woman aged 30-40. One was pulled from the water unconscious but still with a pulse. 

 

And on Patong beach lifeguards saved three people. 

 

Other foreign tourists from France and Spain have died this week in Koh Chang and a wealthy Thai doctor drowned in Rayong.

 

Red flags have been flying in many places as it is the monsoon season with high winds and waves making swimming especially hazardous. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-07-15

 

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[Sparktrader]

Phuket has bad rips

 

Only for strong swimmers

[transam]

They knew better than to take notice of warnings..........????

[kcpattaya]

3 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Only for strong swimmers

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag them down

[Dcheech]

Phuket lifeguards are as effective as Uvalde policemen. Garf

[SAFETY FIRST]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

Theerawat, one of the guards had told both AMM and Surasit not to swim but they entered the water regardless. 

Oh well, they won't do that again. 

 

Lots of people these days not listening to authorities. 

The pandemic identified this issue. 

 

[Dmaxdan]

7 minutes ago, Dcheech said:

Phuket lifeguards are as effective as Uvalde policemen. Garf

Yes, it says it all when a Thai tourist responds quicker than the trained lifeguards on duty.

Or perhaps the lifeguards are instructed to not enter the water when the red flags are flying?

[MrJ2U]

2 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Yes, it says it all when a Thai tourist responds quicker than the trained lifeguards on duty.

Or perhaps the lifeguards are instructed to not enter the water when the red flags are flying?

Unless you are in front of a resort they don't have lifeguards peppered all over the hundreds of miles of beaches of Phuket. 

 

Especially during monsoon season when many of the beaches are deserted. Bad time to go if beaches are your thing, you'll be disappointed. 

[mancub]

25 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag them down

Yes, but not if they understand the nature of a rip and are strong enough to navigate it as opposed to fighting it. Mute point though, since if they had the knowledge, they wouldn't be out swimming where the red flags wave anyway !

[carvets]

28 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag them down

Its not nonsense. Rips generally dont drag you down they drag you out . A strong swimmer will know to swim across a rip . Poor swimmers will try to swim against the rip , get tired , panic and drown under the waves or drown from exhaustion if no help arrives .  

[2long]

May I ask what the duty of a lifeguard is if it's not to save people in cases like this?

I know, I know, he did warn them etc. But that would surely mean he's just a guard, not a lifeguard.

[gearbox]

37 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag them down

The rip does not drag you down. If one can swim kilometers and knows how to get out of a rip it would be ok.

[stevenl]

30 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

Yes, it says it all when a Thai tourist responds quicker than the trained lifeguards on duty.

Or perhaps the lifeguards are instructed to not enter the water when the red flags are flying?

If you understand the story you'll see the Thai tourist was in the water swimming already.

[ThailandRyan]

55 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Phuket has bad rips

 

Only for strong swimmers

Very bad Riptides. As a strong swimmer I was ok at first, 15 years ago when i lived in Phuket, while body surfing on top of the waves, but once I was crushed by a wave and under the water it was a fight and I had to remember my own lifeguard training to get out....sucked and then I never swam or body surfed on red flag days again.

Edited July 15, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[stevenl]

26 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

Unless you are in front of a resort they don't have lifeguards peppered all over the hundreds of miles of beaches of Phuket. 

 

Especially during monsoon season when many of the beaches are deserted. Bad time to go if beaches are your thing, you'll be disappointed. 

Nonsense, life guards everywhere.

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Nonsense, life guards everywhere.

Exactly, but on some days there are fewer. There have been articles on the past regarding this.  

[MrJ2U]

Just now, stevenl said:

Nonsense, life guards everywhere.

No theres not.

 

Perhaps at touristy Patong beach.

 

You'll be hard pressed to find many lifeguards along the West Coast unless you count battered red flags as lifeguards.

 

Best not to swim this time of year on the West coat of Phuket.

 

Just let you know Stevini if you ever visit Thailand. 

 

 

[carlyai]

50 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag the down

Ocean rip currents don't drag you down, they drag you out to sea. 

[MrJ2U]

10 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Nonsense, life guards everywhere.

"Red flags up over lack of lifeguards on Phuket beaches"

 

https://www.ttgasia.com/2018/03/27/red-flags-up-over-lack-of-lifeguards-on-phuket-beaches/

 

"Phuket’s haphazard lifeguard coverage flamed, comprehensive plan blanked"

 

https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-haphazard-lifeguard-coverage-flamed-comprehensive-plan-blanked-67204.php

[PST]

26 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

No theres not.

 

Perhaps at touristy Patong beach.

 

You'll be hard pressed to find many lifeguards along the West Coast unless you count battered red flags as lifeguards.

 

Best not to swim this time of year on the West coat of Phuket.

 

Just let you know Stevini if you ever visit Thailand. 

 

 

It happened on Kata Noi beach where the 5 star Katathani Hotel is located, so life guards on duty daily.

[ThailandRyan]

22 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

"Red flags up over lack of lifeguards on Phuket beaches"

 

https://www.ttgasia.com/2018/03/27/red-flags-up-over-lack-of-lifeguards-on-phuket-beaches/

 

"Phuket’s haphazard lifeguard coverage flamed, comprehensive plan blanked"

 

https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-haphazard-lifeguard-coverage-flamed-comprehensive-plan-blanked-67204.php

Just like I posted above but without the links, Thank you.

[webfact]

The dangers of ignoring red flags; two recent double drowning tragedies on Thai beaches

By Editor

 

 

In the wake of a double drowning at Koh Chang involving a Spanish woman and a French man, a British man and a Thai tourist have now been reported as drowning at a Phuket beach.  In both tragedies, the deaths occurred when the swimmers ignored red flag warnings about dangerous conditions.  

 

In the most recent incident, which occurred on Thursday (14th July), a British citizen on his honeymoon ignored the red flag warning at Kata Noi Beach, before being washed away by the waves.  He was identified as Mr. Ali Mohammed Mian, 34 years old. 

 

A Thai man who was swimming nearby, attempted to assist but also became a victim of the conditions.  He was identified as Surasit Ponglauhaphan, aged 55 years, who had been traveling with wife and son.  Both men had been staying at the same hotel.

 

Before the incident at Kata Noi beach, officials had put red flags on beaches along the coast to dissuade tourists from swimming because of monsoonal conditions strong winds.  A lifeguard, Mr. Teerawat Pachanthabutr, said he had warned both tourists not to swim, a warning that was apparently ignored. 

Lifeguards are on duty every day, however with they were unable to prevent the tragedy. 

 

Many foreign tourists simply ignore the no-swimming flags, often with tragic consequences, Phuket governor Noraphat Plodthong said on Wednesday.  He was expressing his regret over the drowning of a Chinese tourist at Kamala beach on Tuesday.

 

Mr Noraphat said red flags at beaches in Phuket to specifically warn tourists of the dangerous conditions at this time of year. He would call a meeting on Thursday to draw up additional measures to help prevent more drownings.

 

Sadly this is not uncommon in the monsoon season with strong rip tides often present.  Just because other people may be in the water apparently coping with the conditions doesn’t mean it is safe to swim. 

 

When the red flags are flying, stay in the swimming pool!

 

Source: https://royalcoastreview.com/2022/07/the-dangers-of-ignoring-red-flags-two-recent-double-drowning-tragedies-on-thai-beaches/

 

-- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2022-07-15

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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[Sparktrader]

1 hour ago, carlyai said:

Ocean rip currents don't drag you down, they drag you out to sea. 

Waves knock u down

Rips drag you out

 

You have to swim sideways not against it

[beechbum]

3 hours ago, kcpattaya said:

What a nonsense!
...They survive perhaps 30 seconds longer before any rip current will drag them down

You so obviously have NFI

[Xonax]

Unfortunately many the responsible persons are lazy and find it easier to just leave the red flags out every day outside the high season. Also on the good days, where swimming should be allowed. This will naturally lead some tourists to ignore the red flags, as they have most likely travelled a long way to get to swim at the beach. When beaches are closed on both bad and good days in the low season, tourists should be provided with this information, before they decide to travel to Thailand.

[natway09]

If the red flags are flying there should be no need for life guards.

Can't help stupid (at least they got a warning & chose to ignore it

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, Dcheech said:

Phuket lifeguards are as effective as Uvalde policemen. Garf

Unless they got jetskis, I wouldn't try to rescue an adult in rough seas either.

 

Red flags & told not to enter ... oh well ... you can fix stupid

[TheFishman1]

Yep the lifeguards in Thailand are very similar to the police TIT

[ThailandRyan]

I do remember a very large sign at Kata Beach which showed what all of the warning flag sign colors meant, and on each side of the large sign would be the flags flying.  You could not miss this as you walked down the stairs from the road above to get to the beach.  That of course was 10 years ago, and the last time I was in Kata, as I mainly stayed in Nai Harn for beach enjoyment.  I wonder if the sign is still there.

[chilli42]

4 hours ago, 2long said:

May I ask what the duty of a lifeguard is if it's not to save people in cases like this?

I know, I know, he did warn them etc. But that would surely mean he's just a guard, not a lifeguard.

I am sure you know by now that nothing bad that ever happens is the fault of a Thai person