Russian Man Drowns at Phuket Beach After Allegedly Ignoring No Swimming Warnings

[webfact]

 

Phuket – A Russian tourist drowned at a beach in Thalang, allegedly ignoring red flags and no swimming warnings.

The Phuket Tourist Police told the Phuket Express that they were notified of the incident on Thursday evening near dusk (August 3rd) on Surin Beach. They arrived at the beach with red flags placed up by lifeguards which meant no swimming was allowed along the beach.

 

A foreign man was provided CPR by lifeguards on the beach and was later identified by the Phuket Tourist Police as MR. ALEKSANDR IUNEMEN, 41, Russian national. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

 

By Goongnang Suksawat

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/08/04/russian-man-drowns-at-phuket-beach-after-allegedly-ignoring-no-swimming-warnings/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-08-04

 

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[RichardColeman]

Assuming ignoring the red flags WAS the reason for his death, exactly when does accidental death become suicide ? You cannot claim death from taking a 100 sleeping tablets was accidental death due to ignoring the label ! 

[CANSIAM]

A lifeguard on Karon Beach told me people ignore their verbal warnings or instructions and the ever visible red flags staked every 20 meters, possibly a communication language issue ? Know what to do out there during 'rip' season or come at other months, enjoy your holiday ! 

[sammieuk1]

Oh dear ????

[Zapitapi]

always let the RIP take u out a bit and then swim parallel to the shore for a few meters until you out of the RIP..and then back to shore 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Zapitapi

[Northstar1]

My heart bleeds for these Russians!

????????????????????????

[bignok]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Assuming ignoring the red flags WAS the reason for his death, exactly when does accidental death become suicide ? You cannot claim death from taking a 100 sleeping tablets was accidental death due to ignoring the label ! 

Crazy logic. I've swam in no go zones no issues. Wasnt trying to kill myself. This guy just overestimated his ability.

[ChipButty]

suicide who knows? 

[bignok]

22 minutes ago, Zapitapi said:

always let the RIP take u out a bit and then swim parallel to the shore for a few meters until you out of the RIP..and then back to shore 

Yes simple. You might have to swim 50m sideways. No big deal for a good swimmer.

 

 

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

A lifeguard on Karon Beach told me people ignore their verbal warnings or instructions and the ever visible red flags staked every 20 meters, possibly a communication language issue ? Know what to do out there during 'rip' season or come at other months, enjoy your holiday ! 

The fact is that, at least in Nai Harn beach nearby, the red  or red/yellow flags were often there without apparent reason - other than the life guards want to keep an eye on a restricted stretch of the beach only. I speak of several years of personal experience, admittedly I don't go there anymore since 2021. This said, those beaches are a bit tricky indeed because often the waves create holes in the sand bottom - you think you are touching floor and suddenly no more. No big deal for a decent swimmer, but many overestimate themselves.

[CANSIAM]

1 hour ago, arithai12 said:

The fact is that, at least in Nai Harn beach nearby, the red  or red/yellow flags were often there without apparent reason - other than the life guards want to keep an eye on a restricted stretch of the beach only. I speak of several years of personal experience, admittedly I don't go there anymore since 2021. This said, those beaches are a bit tricky indeed because often the waves create holes in the sand bottom - you think you are touching floor and suddenly no more. No big deal for a decent swimmer, but many overestimate themselves.

What I witnessed 3 weeks ago at Karon beach, people in the water quite a distance out, stormy seas, where red flags were staked on the beach, a man screaming for help but it was his female partner that was in trouble who was slightly further out from him, anyway 3 lifeguards start running, don't know why he was wasting energy screaming, should have put it to good use trying to help her........ 

[steven100]

he got in a RIP

he got to RIP

[Tropposurfer]

If you come from still-water swimming experience only, be extremely careful when swimming in moving ocean waters.

Many (Thais because they often don't know how to swim at all, and Europeans especially it seems) who come from land locked places know only calm, almost motionless or weak flowing lake, river swimming and have zero understanding of how ocean waters move.

They simply cannot identify places where dangerous or developing dangerous water exists. 

 

When submerged in the water and being surprised and have no experience with rips and undertows is far too late in the day for self-preservation. 

By far the proportion of drownings are with males. Alcohol (and some other types of drugs) is a prime accelerator of drownings as it sedates, along with other cerebral regions, the reasoning parts of the brain, add to that the male oft-need to deny self-care and abandon prudence and there's a recipe for catastrophic events such as this.

 

NEVER swim alone unless you are a very strong and experienced swimmer, and know the beach at which you are swimming very well.

NEVER assume that you will be able to stay in shallow water (if you are a non or weak swimmer) and always stand on firm sand when in the surf as sandbanks can shift/collapse rapidly from under foot with strong undertows. 

NEVER swim with alcohol in your system or the day after a heavy nights drinking.

NEVER swim after a large heavy meal - cramping.

NEVER dive into water unless you can see clearly, and, that you are sure of the depth of that water when it is clear.

NEVER be macho and swim outside of flagged areas because your TOO TOUGH for that. 

[zzzzz]

there are and have been red flags on Kamala beach since end of May<
Everyone ignores them> even the lifeguards dont seem to enforce them as they are to busy on their phones or teaching surfing to the customers
people, surfers, swimmers, even kids are in the water every day>
IF the lifeguards used Yellow flags and the yellow/red flags things might be different

and people would NOT go in the water when the red flag is out but>>>>>>

 

[Sandboxer]

Failed special swim operation.????

[NoDisplayName]

 

Quote

Man Drowns at Phuket Beach After Allegedly Ignoring No Swimming Warnings

 

Headline is not correct.

The man obeyed the signs to the letter.

 

[Harsh Jones]

On 8/3/2023 at 5:33 PM, RichardColeman said:

Assuming ignoring the red flags WAS the reason for his death, exactly when does accidental death become suicide ? You cannot claim death from taking a 100 sleeping tablets was accidental death due to ignoring the label ! 

Because some ppl are completely ignorant of rip currents. They think that the flags are out because the waves are big. But maybe the beach they've swam at locally at their home country is wavy and never has rip currents, they think "oh, i can handle these waves". The warnings are just a precaution because of the waves.  When they are really a warning for deadly rip currents that they don't know even exist. 

 

I have been to beaches in the med , western Canada and Mexico, and I never really heard of rip currents until I went to Phuket. And read about these drownings on forums like this. 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Harsh Jones

[Harsh Jones]

On 8/4/2023 at 11:54 PM, Tropposurfer said:

If you come from still-water swimming experience only, be extremely careful when swimming in moving ocean waters.

Many (Thais because they often don't know how to swim at all, and Europeans especially it seems) who come from land locked places know only calm, almost motionless or weak flowing lake, river swimming and have zero understanding of how ocean waters move.

They simply cannot identify places where dangerous or developing dangerous water exists. 

 

 

It is worse than that in a way. Some of us have been to wavy ocean beaches like in Mexico, that just don't have rip currents. So we have a false sense of experience even with the waves.