Elderly Swiss Couple Drowns At Koh Samui Beach

[Rooo]

Very sad news indeed, may they Rest In Peace.

[carmine]

I unfortunately, came across this horrendous scene yesterday. To the amazing men (Australian or New Zealand?) and the female nurse who worked tirelessly on trying to save the couple, you were wonderful. Im sure they have been greatly affected by the event. I am still heart broken and not a minute has gone by since where I havent thought about the couple. My thoughts go out to their family.

The government or Samui council needs to take a more responsible role in these needless tragedies, of which, there seems to have been many. Yes, there were a few ragged looking red flags up in one or two spots on the beach but only that our waiter at breakfast told us that swimming was no encouraged today, we would have gone in, as it looked no more rough than the previous few days. There either needs to be a total ban on swimming on these kind of days or they need to have lifeguards placed on the beach. An attitude of 'it's not our responsiblilty' is not acceptable.

Once again, my thoughts and prayers are with their family.

Thankyou for making the effort to write what must have been a very difficult post.

You are entirely right that more should be done to warn people because the waters at chaweng in particular can be very dangerous.

[spectre324]

If only there was a tradition in Thailand for a higher degree of responsibility, then perhaps someone at the resort would have ensured that they would have been told it was a bad idea to go swimming under those conditions... People from Switzerland are not exactly the most ocean saavy in the world given their geographic position, so its feasible to imagine that they had no idea what they were up against.

Im just asking, where were the lifeguards ?

In a word NO!

[Mole]

When I open the link in original post, http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/01/29/elderly-swiss-couple-drowns-at-koh-samui-beach/

it redirects to http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/10/09/end-in-sight-for-trapped-chilean-miners/

[BigC]

Tragic....and is there any xxxxx need to publish that photo.

Makes me sick.

it is called reality mate! just because u dont want to see it does not mean it is not there. I get annoyed about people that get annoyed about placing photos of the deceased on the media too me it is ignorant to not want to know the picture that most of the times tells more about the story than the story

So if your wife or girlfriend or another close family loved one had an accident and the media posted images for all the world to see, its OK?

In the media in most western countries there is a thing called self regulation, and generally an agreement not to post images of the moment of death or of certain other unpleasant subjects - although sadly I see that it is being ignored more and more - but having worked in broadcasting all my life, it sickens me to see material like this that is completely unnecessary, being made available to the public.

These people have family and loved ones who must be considered in such a situation, not to mention having some respect for those who died.

This is horrible, and images like this are one reason that I have for the last 20 years absolutely banned Thai Rath from our home - and it will apply equally to any other publication that oversteps the bounds of human decency and consideration.

their faces were covered up anyway i still stand by what i said. normally when there is a death people are very nosey and they want to know exactly what happened yet part of knowing is seeing but if people do not want to see but would rarther guess based on words alone then it is just plan ignorants plus i think it also sends messages to people . I bet if people see these pictures or were at the scene they would be thining more about swimming or motor bike riding drunk or what ever.

I have seen countless people change the way they drive after seeing bike accidents.

[BigC]

i do agree that i would be better if there were people regualting safety on the tourist parts of the island on the beaches. It can be done but it would have to be volenteers. Please these people shall need funding. plus training.

There is a demand for stand bys on the beaches. It would be nice if the government helped but if not then charity companys can take over and apply for a permit off the teesa baan but it is not as easy as it sounds

[evadgib]

Unfortunatly they weren't the first this year..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258797/British-tourist-drowns-getting-caught-riptide-swam-coast-Thailand.html

[dee057]

Hey Guys

i havent written on this forum in a long time

I work samui rescue and i was first on the scene with my team.

What actually happened is two aussie guys (from sydney where i am from) saw them floating in the distance and dragged them in. They did CPR for a good 15 minutes but apparently they were blue when they got them out the water. I dont know who the boys were but good on them.

The waves were 2m high but it can tell you now there was a decent swell and the water was rough.

The couple were elderly and of a larger size .

I can swim and the area of Chaweng beach they were on can have big rips and is quite deep

I am used to the photos having worked here and been in thailand on and off for 12 years so doesnt phase me any more but i can understand those not ued to it regarding privacy etc.

[BlackWolf]

For 8 years I have gone to the beach at Chaweng Noi nearly every morning. And I am defenetly NOT swimming in the windy season in January/February. It is not the high waves that are dangerous, but the outgoing underwater streams.

The first years I warned people I saw was going into the sea about the danger, but after lot of angry replies like "mind your own business" or totally ingnored, I have stoped doing this. I have learned that people are responsibil for their own lives, its up to them what to do with it.. I know that this maybe look cynicel, but thats the facts. But I will at the same ask the hotels and resorts at the beach-side, please warn your guests seriusly about the danger. Actually the are no lives to be missed.

[ALFREDO]

Tragic....and is there any xxxxx need to publish that photo.

Makes me sick.

I quite agree, The media in Thailand are very sick with what they think will attract people to a story, while at the same time pixalating very harmless stuff, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to change, I say this about stuff like this to my Thai Wife a lot & she really doesn't understand what I'm "moaning" about...

neither do i. This is the other side of the world. either u can handle it or you cannot but to try to change the way a whole culture thinks ...well good luck.

What photo? The LINK brings me to no photo and no story!

[BigC]

Tragic....and is there any xxxxx need to publish that photo.

Makes me sick.

I quite agree, The media in Thailand are very sick with what they think will attract people to a story, while at the same time pixalating very harmless stuff, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to change, I say this about stuff like this to my Thai Wife a lot & she really doesn't understand what I'm "moaning" about...

neither do i. This is the other side of the world. either u can handle it or you cannot but to try to change the way a whole culture thinks ...well good luck.

What photo? The LINK brings me to no photo and no story!

I know the link seems to direct to somewhere else now I can pm or to u

[BigC]

For 8 years I have gone to the beach at Chaweng Noi nearly every morning. And I am defenetly NOT swimming in the windy season in January/February. It is not the high waves that are dangerous, but the outgoing underwater streams.

The first years I warned people I saw was going into the sea about the danger, but after lot of angry replies like "mind your own business" or totally ingnored, I have stoped doing this. I have learned that people are responsibil for their own lives, its up to them what to do with it.. I know that this maybe look cynicel, but thats the facts. But I will at the same ask the hotels and resorts at the beach-side, please warn your guests seriusly about the danger. Actually the are no lives to be missed.

I understand your point but people Gould have the information to make a decision then the rest is up to them

I would like to see warning flags outside maybe dive shops can put them outside there shops I am sure there is no law putting a flag up

[TommoPhysicist]

Water is very dangerous at the best of times, even the calmest water can be deadly.

Nobody is to blame but the swimmers themselves.

At least they had both had a long life and ended it together.

Edited January 30, 2013 by TommoPhysicist

[ALFREDO]

I know the link seems to direct to somewhere else now I can pm or to u

Thanks for responding. I have some Swiss friends here in TH and Isaan who sure more interested.

So if there is still a functional LINK, PM him to me.

I looked at the Website of the News source and searched before, but to now avail.

[BigC]

Sorry to post here but I am stuck on this page on. My iPhone app as there is no back button thsnks

[sydneyjed]

This could happen to anyone.

In February a group of us were on Karon beach.

The sea looked lovely and we decided to go in.

It was great until, without warning a series of large waves came crashing down.

I was bowled over, grazing my knee and lost one of the lenses from my glasses.

I had quite a struggle to regain my composure and get out more or less safely.

The incident could easily have ended in a tragedy.

I'm not sure that warnings would help.

Perhaps a flotation device?

At least they went together. RIP

Karon and Kata Beachs are death traps...if only everyone knew how many people drown there in a year.

[BigC]

i herd on the thai news that the passport photos were wrong and they put the wrong guest photos on the news paper. the excuse from the hotel was that the faces looked similar

so i can imiagine that when the couple tried to leave the country the computer showed them as dead. TIT

[stevehaigh]

maybe off topic but my friend just rescued 2 British girls today off the coast of phangan, clinging to a buoy. they had swam out to the island near tongsala and didn't have the power to swim back. if my friend didn't happen to be sailing past,they would probably still be there now.

[itsala]

The water looks safe, and you have people who have dreamt of swimming in a blue warm ocean all year, looking forward to their holiday. They are not familiar with local conditions and excitement clouds judgement. The responsibility lies with the beach front hotel who profits from the room rental and other services and then expects an underfunded local government to provide lifeguards, no doubt whilst paying little or no tax, and if any paying to central government.

RIP to you both, my hope is that you went together and happy, my regret is you came to my home Island and didn't return to your loved ones as you should have,.

[happylarry]

I have stayed at this hotel a few times and the problem with the sea there is the rips under the water. Sometimes even when standing on your feet only up to your waist you can find it a struggle to get back in. And i am talking about when the water looks ok, not when its rough. The hotel had a long rope attached to the wall and I have seen a member of their staff rush into the water with the rope tied around them to rescue somebody, on a few occasions. So they are aware and they do try but do you really expect a hotel to put off their guests returning in the future by telling them it's dangerous. Hardly!

HL

[BigC]

The water looks safe, and you have people who have dreamt of swimming in a blue warm ocean all year, looking forward to their holiday. They are not familiar with local conditions and excitement clouds judgement. The responsibility lies with the beach front hotel who profits from the room rental and other services and then expects an underfunded local government to provide lifeguards, no doubt whilst paying little or no tax, and if any paying to central government.

RIP to you both, my hope is that you went together and happy, my regret is you came to my home Island and didn't return to your loved ones as you should have,.

They are not liable but it would be a nice gesture if they helped with safety on the beaches as in buddisme it shall be merts which would bring them luck and more business

[BigC]

I have stayed at this hotel a few times and the problem with the sea there is the rips under the water. Sometimes even when standing on your feet only up to your waist you can find it a struggle to get back in. And i am talking about when the water looks ok, not when its rough. The hotel had a long rope attached to the wall and I have seen a member of their staff rush into the water with the rope tied around them to rescue somebody, on a few occasions. So they are aware and they do try but do you really expect a hotel to put off their guests returning in the future by telling them it's dangerous. Hardly!

HL

dive shops and hotels could work together to promote information to the guests with signs at the beach front for everyone to see. diver have knowledge and experience with the tides and currents. plus the hotels can download the information and post it on the boards infront i hae noticed they did this in hua hin

dive shops can post the information on the wen and hotels or anyone can download an print.the hotels can help with warning flags and signs to say what they are

is there any aps to down load with conditions as people play on their phones all day

Edited February 3, 2013 by BigC

[happylarry]

Like I said earlier the hotels are not likely to want to put people off returning by advertising that their bit of beach is dangerous, are they? Come on.....regardless of their morals they are a business that needs customers and this is Thailand. What about all the electric cables hanging down when it's raining......what about people driving the wrong way in one way roads.......or driving when paraletic..... I bet there are more deaths on the roads than in the sea off chaweng so can you really see anyone worrying? Not saying its right just saying what I think will or rather won't happen.

RIP

HL

[parallaxtech]

Yesterday, during my daily walk from the Ark Bar to the Centara Hotel I witnessed five near-drownings, Then, when I sat between the jetski stand and the Centara Hotel there were three more rescues, one by the jetskis and two by a local guy with a raft. Undoubtedly, somebody drowned yesterday. This is the worst I have seen the ocean in the last eight years so please tell your loved ones to just stay on the beach or use the swimming pool.

[advancebooking]

If only there was a tradition in Thailand for a higher degree of responsibility, then perhaps someone at the resort would have ensured that they would have been told it was a bad idea to go swimming under those conditions... People from Switzerland are not exactly the most ocean saavy in the world given their geographic position, so its feasible to imagine that they had no idea what they were up against.

Im just asking, where were the lifeguards ?

I don't think the onus is on the resort to make warnings.

Lifeguards in thailand?? Ive never seen one in the LOS

[parallaxtech]

Several more people have drowned this week on Chaweng Beach since I last reported a few days ago. There is no longer a Farang Voluntary Lifeguard Service that has existed for a number of years. They only had two members left and made two rescues on Monday but were threatened by the jetski mafia. Apparently, recovering a farang dead or alive has become quite a lucrative business for them. My advice is to stay away from Chaweng Beach when the big waves are rolling in and, unfortunately, expect many more drownings, which of course will be kept out of the newspapers for fear or losing tourist revenue.

[carmine]

Several more people have drowned this week on Chaweng Beach since I last reported a few days ago. There is no longer a Farang Voluntary Lifeguard Service that has existed for a number of years. They only had two members left and made two rescues on Monday but were threatened by the jetski mafia. Apparently, recovering a farang dead or alive has become quite a lucrative business for them. My advice is to stay away from Chaweng Beach when the big waves are rolling in and, unfortunately, expect many more drownings, which of course will be kept out of the newspapers for fear or losing tourist revenue.

Can we be quite clear about this; you are saying that

1 "Several people have died this week off chaweng beach. Do you be more precise?

2 Criminal thugs renting jet ski's are threatening farangs that having been voluntarily helping as life guards?!!

If true, forget about the local paper this should be front page of the nationals

[parallaxtech]

Emails and calls have been made to embassies and other influential people so don't want to comment anymore. The bottom line is that there will be many more drownings on Chaweng Beach.

[Samui Coconut]

Several more people have drowned this week on Chaweng Beach since I last reported a few days ago. There is no longer a Farang Voluntary Lifeguard Service that has existed for a number of years. They only had two members left and made two rescues on Monday but were threatened by the jetski mafia. Apparently, recovering a farang dead or alive has become quite a lucrative business for them. My advice is to stay away from Chaweng Beach when the big waves are rolling in and, unfortunately, expect many more drownings, which of course will be kept out of the newspapers for fear or losing tourist revenue.

Can we be quite clear about this; you are saying that

1 "Several people have died this week off chaweng beach. Do you be more precise?

2 Criminal thugs renting jet ski's are threatening farangs that having been voluntarily helping as life guards?!!

If true, forget about the local paper this should be front page of the nationals

1. Correct, several people have died, yesterday the last one I have heard of.

2. Opposite, several jet ski operators ( I know of one myself) have helped people in distress and brought them back to shore.

[parallaxtech]

i have also seen many wonderful rescues by jetski operators and nobody is saying that all jetski people are bad. Just as some of them scam for fictitious damages and others don't. I was only reporting what has happened recently, which was quite alarming. Heaven knows they and the taxi drivers are model citizens and we should hold them in the highest regard. I hope that anyone who has the misfortune to be drowning comes across one of the few good ones.