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

[Old Croc]

23 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Theres not lifeguards on every beach.

 

I'm just pointing out a fact.

It's also a fact, obvious to most, that I was responding to your last insulting sentence.

I did not express an opinion about your other statements. 

[Old Croc]

Unfortunately lifeguards/lifesavers don't guarantee people wont still drown. Scores have drowned at Bondi over the years, and still do so. You can't always help stupid tourists who plunge into the sea like lemmings.

 

I took these pics at Patong in 2006. A small stature lifesaver is helping a giant Brit and his girlfriend (obscured) back on the bank after they were swept into deep water on a very rough day. These guys do go into the water to assist.

[Andre0720]

On 7/15/2022 at 10:15 AM, carvets said:

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 .  

A strong swimmer..... With swim fins...

[bristolgeoff]

Red flags mean stay in between the flags to swim,outside the flags you have problems.The flags and lifeguards are there not to sell watermelon too tourist

[KhunLA]

11 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

A strong swimmer..... With swim fins...

Depends on the rip, as I swam back through one.   

 

People should try to swim on the incoming tide and ebb tide.  Outgoing tide raises the danger level even more.  

 

How people don't know about rips, or how to get out of one is mind boggling.  At worst, at least learn how to float, and you'll never drown, or shall I say, I might take hours, depending how rough the seas are.   But if seas calm and you simply got caught in a rip, easy enough just to float and swim away from it.

[it is what it is]

On 7/15/2022 at 3:34 AM, Sparktrader said:

Phuket has bad rips

 

Only for strong swimmers

 

and swimmers who know how to stay calm and get out of a rip

[Sparktrader]

5 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

and swimmers who know how to stay calm and get out of a rip

Yes and fit enough to cope for 20 mins.

[Stargeezr]

This is just another of many reasons that most of us tourists do not come to Thailand in low season.

   Milder weather in the Winter months.  Maybe that is why it is called high season.

[MrJ2U]

On 7/15/2022 at 10:35 AM, carlyai said:

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

West Coast of Phuket can also  have bad undertows during the monsoon season. 

[bokningar]

On 7/15/2022 at 5:29 AM, stevenl said:

Nonsense, life guards everywhere.

Suggest you walk from the airport north the whole Mai Khao beach  and report back how many life guards per 100 meter you find.

 There is not life guards everywhere on Phuket.