Bad weather here, but Phuket's life guards still wait for new contract
Naraporn Tuarob



PHUKET: -- Members of Phuket Lifeguard Club are waiting to hear whether the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation will renew its contract to guard the island’s beaches, and on what terms.

Tourists who ignore red 'no swimming' flags are a constant frustration for the island's life guards.
The current contract expires on May 27 and Club President Prathaiyuth Chueayuan told The Phuket News today (May 3) that a meeting had been held regarding renewal but that the club has heard nothing since.

The PLC has been contracted for the past three years to keep a watch at Phuket’s beaches, advising when it is not safe to swim, and pulling out of the water those who do not heed the advice.

Already, with the annual switch to the southwest monsoon, the weather along the Andaman Sea coast has deteriorated, bringing wind and waves that take a toll of human life every year. That toll would be far greater were it not for the efforts of the PLC. Hundreds have been saved.

Mr Prathaiyuth believes that the contract should not be a yearly one, but much more long-term.

“When we have to renew it every year, there is no certainty, and it affects our employees since they don’t know when the contract will be renewed or whether they will still have a job when it expires.

“This has led to many resigning to take work that has greater job security. So we have to train new guards to replace the ones who leave.”

Replacements are not easy to find, he said. Candidates have to show that they swim strongly, and “have the mindset to be a lifeguard. And then we have to train them.

“Last year we deployed a total of 106 staff at 13 beaches along the west coast of Phuket, from Ya Nui Beach in the south to Mai Khao Beach in the north. The number at each beach varies depending on the level of danger of and the local geography.

“In each area, there are three lifeguards at each station. On Patong Beach, for example, there are 15 lifeguard stations, each manned by three people.

“During the monsoon season [from May until October], the most dangerous beach is Karon Beach, because of its length, but every beach can be dangerous – currents are the main factor.”

Apart from the uncertainty of the job, Mr Prathaiyuth said the main problem for life guards is tourists ignoring verbal warning from the guards and not paying attention to the warning signs and flags erected along the beaches.

Red flags, the signs explain in many languages, mean that it is too dangerous to swim. But people still go in the water.

“I would like to ask for the cooperation of all the tourists to be aware of the signs and notices in order to protect lives.

“Also, I would ask the hotels and other businesses close to the beach to warn tourists when it is not safe to go into the water.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/bad-weather-here-but-phuket%E2%80%99s-life-guards-still-wait-for-new-contract-39185.php


-- Phuket News 2013-05-04

A ridiculous state of affairs coming into the drowning season. Archaic officialdom in this country is responsible for so many needless deaths.

On my Phuket visit I honestly don't recall seeing any lifeguards at all.

They may not have been visible past the landscape of umbrella/lounge chairs vendors or maybe they were mixed among the jet ski operators.

No wait, they were hopping on a reasonably priced tuk tuk knowing as a local they wouldn't be attacked and beaten senseless.


All of the above is just a joke as I honestly don't care what happens in Phuket. To each his own.

Ahh sarchasm, the chasm that lies between complainer and joker........

I'm with Valentine, unbelievable that they negotiate a contract this time of year. Get a brain and set the negotiations plus new contracts January 1-January 1 every year.

Then if there is a beef at least the ocean is just a big pool as opposed to wave pool.

I wasn't sure if this was a new article or one from May 2012, May 2011, May 2010,.....

.

... or maybe they were mixed among the jet ski operators.

I have news for you. They are the jet ski operators.

.

The only problem is the red flags go up April 15 th and come down December 15 th.

I have come to the conclusion that it is so when someone drowns they can say it was

red flagged and the tourist were not supposed to be swimming. Not our fault.

Ahh sarchasm, the chasm that lies between complainer and joker........

I'm with Valentine, unbelievable that they negotiate a contract this time of year. Get a brain and set the negotiations plus new contracts January 1-January 1 every year.

Then if there is a beef at least the ocean is just a big pool as opposed to wave pool.

What's more unbelievable is that it's the same story every year!

To forget to renew the contract once is "understandable" but to repeat the same mistake year after year is borderline criminal. One has to wonder what is the IQ of the people behind it...

A ridiculous state of affairs coming into the drowning season. Archaic officialdom in this country is responsible for so many needless deaths.

No...being not able to swim is responsible for so many needless to deaths...learn to swim <deleted>..its not hard!!

A ridiculous state of affairs coming into the drowning season. Archaic officialdom in this country is responsible for so many needless deaths.

No...being not able to swim is responsible for so many needless to deaths...learn to swim <deleted>..its not hard!!

You have to be kidding. I used to be a strong swimmer & a beach lifeguard when I was younger, able to recognize the danger spots where the rips are & the ferocity of the waves especially when they rise up suddenly & dump down. There were times when panic set in, even with my experience, & this is when it can be so easy to drown. Just being able to swim means nothing to the ocean.

Koreans, Japanese and Russians always seem to be high on the victims list

A ridiculous state of affairs coming into the drowning season. Archaic officialdom in this country is responsible for so many needless deaths.

No...being not able to swim is responsible for so many needless to deaths...learn to swim <deleted>..its not hard!!

You have to be kidding. I used to be a strong swimmer & a beach lifeguard when I was younger, able to recognize the danger spots where the rips are & the ferocity of the waves especially when they rise up suddenly & dump down. There were times when panic set in, even with my experience, & this is when it can be so easy to drown. Just being able to swim means nothing to the ocean.

Yes, thank you. I was going to point this out. Mudcrab, try to stay afloat in aerated (foamy) water sometime, especially when a wave is tossing you about every few seconds. Even for someone with good swimming skills it is very, very difficult to impossible. I consider myself a good swimmer, and I have been caught out a few times when it suddenly got a bit deeper than I had anticipated, perhaps with a bit of rip, where I felt a little panic setting in just such a circumstance. I can totally understand how this can happen to people that are not familiar with the power of the ocean.

They need to get their act together fast....the is the MOTHER of all swells about to hit Phuket later this week.

Yahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They need to get their act together fast....the is the MOTHER of all swells about to hit Phuket later this week.

Yahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

We'll see. WindGuru is rarely accurate this far in advance. At the moment it's calling for a 2 to 2.4m swell Friday night through Sunday.

A red flag in Thailand taint a red flag like the pacific ocean.