Russian Tourist Cut In Half By Speedboat's Propellers, Another Missing

[Lovedog100]

I see the boat drivers, and the jet ski operators drive full out, just like they do on a motorbike on the road. I think the jet ski operators are worse than the inexperienced people that they rent to. They can be see driving to the beach in the morning, and coming back at dusk, or dark in the evening. No lights, no life vest, sitting side sadle, or cross legged, and going full out. There seem to be no rules for the road in Pattaya (except for farang) and even less for boat operators.

At home we have to pass a course about the rules of the water, required safety equipment and such. Then get licensed. Here, any uneducated farmer can operate a boat as long as he is willing to work for what is offered. Drunk drivers on the road is common, I'm sure that on the water isn't any different. Such is living in a third world country.

[anon467367354]

from the looks of it, the article is saying they were divers and surfaced in the boating channel and the driver couldn't stop. Doesn't sound like Thai irresponsible behavior or life is cheap here to me. Sounds like someone made a bad error in judgment. accidents happen Rip

[Tokay]

But how do they know they were Russians as they are not identified yet...?

Because the Boys In Brown are simply that good.

Horrible and tragic news.

[geriatrickid]

In consideration of the actual event, would you please modify the news heading into something less sensationalistic. Had the swimmer been cut in two, his death would have been pretty quick. However, in this incident, I fear the poor fellow died an excruciating death as his innards were shredded.

Russian Tourist sliced-open and killed following speed boat accident near Larn Island

11th January 2010

[azado]

As SCUBA diving instructor in Phuket for almost a decade, I have seen many encounters with speedboats and diving boats not to mention a recent situation near one of the smaller Islands at Phi Phi, where a diving boat passed our head and we were almost on the islands walls doing our starting stop, It was very close for me to get sucked in as I was on the way to let go the safety balloon so BOATS could SEE us and know where we are. It doesnt matter where you are in the water on how close shallow water you are, those boats, jetski will still pass your head, even bigger boats that shouldnt be so close to a rocky coast.

Divers or non-divers, sad to hear about this

Azad

[thurien]

My biggest horror when swimming in areas with speedboats or jetskis

no worries for me - I never swim in open waters, just in the hotel pool. Many reasons to stay away from the sea...

[thefusilier]

My biggest horror when swimming in areas with speedboats or jetskis

no worries for me - I never swim in open waters, just in the hotel pool. Many reasons to stay away from the sea...

No worries?! Don't count yourself so safe. It was only a couple weeks ago someone was electrocuted and deep fried in the hotel pool.

[george]

Update:

Russian tourist killed by speedboat in Pattaya

CHONBURI: -- A Russian tourist was killed after being sliced on his back by a speedboat's propellers while he was swimming in the well-known resort of Pattaya in the eastern province of Chonburi.

Police said the tourist, identified later as 40-year-old Poliakov Oleg, was diving to enjoy the coral reef around the area and was hit by speedboats propellers near Koh Larn, about 300 metres off the Pattaya coast in Bang Lamung district.

His body was sent to Bang Lamung Hospital for an autopsy.

The boat driver was arrested for reckless driving of the boat. Police said the driver said he was transporting Chinese tourists to Koh Larn and did not notice the Russian swimmers who were diving.

Pattaya Tourist Boat Club president Sanit Boonmachai said the Russian was visiting Koh Larn with three friends. He was swimming 200 metres from the coast which was outside the diving zone.

The speedboat is private, not registered with the club, and it passed by and its propellers sliced Russian, ending in his death.

-- TNA 2010-01-11

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[koto]

Horrifying. Wonder if they were diving as part of an organised group and if the spot was marked?

If your not floating a flag, in most cases your fair game, very sad, they are always way to fast close to shore, as are the jet skis, these waters are very dangerous due to lack of speed control in all areas where people swim, wake up City Hall, wake up Sea Rescue, make some rules or start fining the speeders, how many need to get hurt or die.

[tribalsky]

Really very sad

[OzMick]

Swimming in the diving zone, outside the zone, in the boat lane, 2 different drivers charged. These press reports are contradictory,ambivalent and probably inaccurate. If they were divers, were they displaying an alpha flag, the only recognised symbol for divers below? How many boat operators in thailand would know what an alpha flag looks like or means? If you don't, what are you doing with a boat licence?

My suggestion, make rental of a bouy with alpha flag compulsory with rental of scuba gear, and mandatory equipment for dive operators. Do random spot checks on boat operators - what does this flag mean (for a number of relevant international symbols)? Failure to recognize leading to instant cancellation, or at least a large bribe.

[scotty41]

On the Thai news, it says the guy was way beyond the prohibited area. Still no clarification whether there really is the prohibited area. :S

RIP

Divers surfacing in a prohibited area or not it would never be the Thai driver of the boat that was going to be at fault, as for divers using safety buoys, it just gives the speedboat drivers something to race round. "Round the floating coloured thing, first one back wins 1,000 baht".

Edited January 11, 2010 by scotty41

[warmwater7]

My biggest horror when swimming in areas with speedboats or jetskis.

As for diving, I am shocked that dive operators still do not advise their customers to use those inflatable "bananas" that mark resurfacing divers.

RIP

One thing I have learned is ALWAYS use a safety sausage (inlatable orange tube with a 5 meter line on it for the non-divers here) as the Thai boat operators NEVER watch for divers below, or they simply don't care. Their off water driving habits are the same on the water.

Reference you comment raro, almost all the diving is guided in Thailand, and the guide or instructor should always have a sausage, but sometimes divers want to dive by themselves, and if they are experienced and have a sausage I would sometimes let them, but that is rare. One wonders if they were with a guide or by themselves. I have on many occasion had long tails go directly over my and my students/customers heads, clearing by a couple meters. At least they will stay a little bit away from the sausage as they wouldn't want to have to get the line wapped up in the propeller.

On the Thai news, it says the guy was way beyond the prohibited area. Still no clarification whether there really is the prohibited area. :S

RIP

Yeah, I would like to know what is a prohibited area as well. I never heard of such a thing in Thailand before.

SAME WITH ME. I'VE HAD A LONG TAIL MISS ME AND MT STUDENTS IN 1.5M WATER, IN AN AGREED ,MARKED,BOUYED SAFE,SECLUDED,TEACHING ZONE. I STOOD UP FLIPPED OFF THE THAI BOATMAN , HE JUST TURNED AND GAVE THAT FAMILIAR THAI SMILE..........................................

GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

[SoiGirlHunter]

Damm i used to jetski alot in pattaya/jomtien (but boycotted when the JJ/scams surfaced) but everytime i went out only 2 things

were emphasized by the operator 1) stay out of the roped off swimming areas or be fined xxxx baht and 2) if you capsize jetski

your gonna pay "big money" - never 1 word on divers or diving markers and i remember flying by markers just thinking they were

for boats or something else

[Basil B]

Koh Larn is not the best of places to dive these days, as I understand it there is now a mandatory requirement to use SMB's (Surface Marker Buoys, normally red, orange or yellow, sausage shaped marker devices) and it was being enforced when I was out there last November.

but I feel they if anything make diving more dangerous particularly as I have in the past witnessed Jet skier racing a round a dive site trying to see if he could see the divers below, the dive masters was yelling at the idiot to keep away, he took absolutely no notice, SMB's will only attract such Idiots and in my opinion the only solution would be for the authorities to prosecute when presented with photographic evidence supplied by dive boats.

[khundon]

How sad, RIP to the poor guys.

Many years ago I was driving an inboard motor boat in UK, within a yacht mooring area, where diving was strictly prohibited.

I felt a bang under the boat and looked back over the stern to see a snorkel diver in wet suit and flippers on the surface.

The propeller had cut off the top of his snorkel, made a dozen cuts in his wet suit and cut one flipper off. Luckily he was only cut on the backside and it was not too deep.

He was angry as hel_l but realised he was in the wrong.

If I had been going faster, the propeller would have been lower in the water and I would have killed him.

Never a day goes by without thinking about it.

If they were on an official dive boat, they should have had marker buoys in the water and have been showing the International diving flag on their boat.

Not that some of the idiot speed boat operators or jet ski users in Thailand would have a clue what they meant.

Edited January 11, 2010 by khundon

[neverdie]

Ouch! Another sad story, you can never be too careful.

[Lancashirelad]

Can somebody who is familiar with diving regulations put up or link to images of these various flags & markers?

I sometimes jet ski in Pattaya & i admit i wouldn't know what to look for until reading this sad thread.

There seems to be a red & white (International)? flag AND a blue & white one. This is confusing, which means what?

[moe666]

Hopefully the correct report will surface, one says diving and another says swimming out side protective area and that boat operator turned himself in. What ever happened sad ending to a vacation.

[Ohio]

Stopped Jet Skiing & Scuba in Pattaya & generally in Thailand several years ago , too many near misses & total disregard for normal safety rules I was trained in.

RIP & the Nationality of the victims have NO bearing on the Tragedy.

Is this another nail in Pattayas tourist destination Coffin ????

[adad]

Can somebody who is familiar with diving regulations put up or link to images of these various flags & markers?

I sometimes jet ski in Pattaya & i admit i wouldn't know what to look for until reading this sad thread.

There seems to be a red & white (International)? flag AND a blue & white one. This is confusing, which means what?

This is what the divers in Thailand use usually - they are usually bright orange, sometimes in yellow too.

[Gers1873]

Odd place to be diving - was any dive boat, company involved?? Dive flags visible?? Or just a couple diving off the shore??

the international dive flag is red/white but in Thailand the red may have been changed for political reasons

[Igor]

I am shocked that dive operators still do not advise their customers to use those inflatable "bananas" that mark resurfacing divers.

Of course, divers are taught to use surface markers. But, face it, when you're packing your gear to fly off on holiday and the airline is charging for luggage practically by the gram, little things like that are easy to leave behind. You tell yourself you'll buy one at the dive shop but...

Besides, speedboats do have a prominent history of ignoring dive flags and surface markers. And I'm talking worldwide not just Thailand.

I'm not laying blame here. Just stating facts.

Peace to the families.

[kuma]

My biggest horror when swimming in areas with speedboats or jetskis

no worries for me - I never swim in open waters, just in the hotel pool. Many reasons to stay away from the sea...

amen, pool or tub is it for me now, tsunami was the last straw

[Spalpeen]

It's clear from the later reports and photos that the casualties in this incident were swimming or snorkeling, not scuba diving. As such they would not have surface markers or know much about marine safety. Just guys on holiday.

It sounds like they were in a lane reserved for boats. Even if they were told to stay out of this zone they may not have understood for language reasons. Swimmers never venture more than 100m from the shore. Divers rarely do either because most of the best diving is in the relatively shallow water. Even where they have clearance to be, the speedboat and jetski drivers need to wise up when they are within 100m of land. I've seen them racing around in areas where there are divers in the water below.

Sad that these guys holiday ended this way.

[dude007]

My biggest horror when swimming in areas with speedboats or jetskis.

As for diving, I am shocked that dive operators still do not advise their customers to use those inflatable "bananas" that mark resurfacing divers.

RIP

Very good remark!!! Divers have also to indicate that they are there under water by these "bananas". But I didn't know that there were diving grounds over there??? Or did the speed boat stroll away from his navigation channel?

Stuff to think about because there are too many conflict situations off-shore: swimmers, jet-skis, speed boats, divers, sailors, skate-boarders, etc. etc. and mostly with not a single [enforced] regulation as usual in Thailand, unless for crack downs on all sorts of ridiculous things, like buying booze beyond the regulated hours.

Unfortunately, much more blood will have to flow before they start regulating the off-shore and beach-areas properly and 'ENFORCE" the regulations without bribes or tea-money...

[dude007]

I am shocked that dive operators still do not advise their customers to use those inflatable "bananas" that mark resurfacing divers.

Of course, divers are taught to use surface markers. But, face it, when you're packing your gear to fly off on holiday and the airline is charging for luggage practically by the gram, little things like that are easy to leave behind. You tell yourself you'll buy one at the dive shop but...

Besides, speedboats do have a prominent history of ignoring dive flags and surface markers. And I'm talking worldwide not just Thailand.

I'm not laying blame here. Just stating facts.

Peace to the families.

Igor, you hit the nail by the head! 100%...

[fasteddie]

Very sad.

Can't say I'm surprised, some of those speedboats are nutters! Shame, RIP!

[LPCustom69]

Very sad and tragic!

[jb5music]

Sad news to read, RIP!

I wonder how they know they were Russians but yet have to be identified?

You got it. I'm slipping. That thought didn't even cross my mind 'till you wrote it.