Mass Phuket beach rescue, five tourists pulled from water – one pronounced dead

[harleyclarkey]

You miss the point about surf, size of waves, etc.....they probably got caught in a rip tide/current.

I got caught in one at Nai Harn and it scared the life out of me. The force was incredible and thank God I was only in up to just above my waist. But that was enough....even then it pulled on me out to sea like a strong guy with a rope. I had the misfortune to be with a girl that couldn't swim so I had no chance of going with the rip and swimming across it....easy if you keep your head. How the heck I got her (in my arms) and me to shore I'll never know.

By the way a rip tide is when waves break on the shore and instead of flowing back out as they came in all this water takes a path back out to sea between the waves. So you have a huge volume of fast water returning to sea.

Edited August 5, 2013 by harleyclarkey

[biplanebluey]

How far out are the red flags? Are you safe if you generally stay in waist deep waters?

out where------- they're on the beach !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wellred]

How far out are the red flags? Are you safe if you generally stay in waist deep waters?

out where------- they're on the beach !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

calm down dear

[johnnycthedog]

How far out are the red flags? Are you safe if you generally stay in waist deep waters?

Exactly the attitude that causes accidents. When Red flags are out I stay out of the water.

At Karon Beach - waist deep one step and over your head next step. This applies to any beach where there is surf or large waves. Lots of sandbanks and troughs. Especially in Phuket in the wet season when the seas are rough and unpredictable!!!!

Where the rips are found is often the calmest part of the surf coming in because water is being channelled out so it calms the wave action.

Those who are experienced surfers will often ride these outwards currents to get to the back of set of waves. It saves you busting through breaking waves.

I agree that multi-language signs need to be displayed along the roadside to the beaches in addition to the red flags.

I feel sorry for the Thai lifeguards who have to risk their lives to save the silly swimmers who either don't know what a red flag means or don't care. As another poster said they come for a holiday and want to go swimming regardless of the risk to their safety (and that of the lifeguards and others who may try to help).

[aryehgizbar]

I think it's not just the waves, it's also the undercurrent. If the undercurrent is strong, you can get easily pulled by the water. I almost drowned in a local beach a few years back when I was with friends, they were surfing and I was just nearby with the water just chest deep. Later on I realized the water was already near my chin and when I sensed that the sand beneath my feet is somewhat getting loose, I knew then that I was being pulled. I asked for a surfboard but unfortunately my friend who reached out got pulled back as well. It was a good thing there was a nearby lifeguard who pulled us back.

After that incident, I made sure I'm just near the shoreline.

RIP to the guy who didn't make it.

[SOTIRIOS]

..too little too late.....

...shovel in the tourist money.....put up a little red rag on an expanse of beach at a tourist location.....and your job is done......pathetic...

...I would categorize that as gross negligence.....

...duh...splurge for a clear, multilingual sign, spelling out the warnings.......is that to much to ask.....or hire someone..

....dish out some of the mountain of money reaped from the tourists in every which way.....

...... you wanna talk about humanitarian.....human rights.....etc.....how about some basic human decency.....

Edited August 5, 2013 by SOTIRIOS

[ableguy]

How do we know they were idiots ? perhaps they were from Siberia or such like and never been on a tropical beach before not knowing what red flags are for, perfectly feasable.

[richardlg]

Pretty sure I read recently that Surf Life Saving Australia had sent a contingent of 5 to Phuket to help train lifesavers there in conjunction with the Royal Thai Navy

[bigbamboo]

Lifeguards? I've never seen lifeguards on a Thai beach EVER.

I guess you have never been to Phuket beaches.

I was riding a few waves into the beach with my young son a couple of years ago in Phuket (I think it was Karon) and whilst watching out for him got caught by a 'big' wave and was spun over and thumped into the sand. Was a bit dazed for a moment but the next thing I saw was two Thai guys who were apparently lifeguards running in to drag me out of the water. Never noticed them there before but they were there and they were very alert.

[Phuket Stan]

I am not a beach person, so maybe that is why, I would not have known what a red flag means.

This is a first I heared of it. The very few times I do go to the beach (Pattaya) I have never seen red flags.

But then if there where big waves, I would not go into the water.

Time to get the map out. Pattaya is on the gulf of Thailand. Phuket is in the Andaman sea. Quite a difference.

The reasons to strongly avoid Phuket are adding up. In 10 years Asia I have never been. But the scams, the unclear deaths of foreigners, the taxi's, tuk tuk's, tsunami, earthquake, corruption. Isn't it time to come to the conclusion Phuket is not a very smart tourist destination to choose?

Thank you for not coming to Phuket

We just love all you people who knock the place but have never been here...it does show a really adult attitude about life

As my 6 year old grandson says....if you don't try it you will never know but then again he likes a bit of adventure

Edited August 5, 2013 by Phuket Stan

[Tiffer]

It is still NOT illegal to be stupid

Were they all Russians?!?

Nice one

Keep the Red Flag flying

[Patje]

If you drive a car red means stop, green means go, why would it be different on a beach ?

But off course tourists have other rules...

[AlphMichaels]

How far out are the red flags? Are you safe if you generally stay in waist deep waters?

A solid undertow can topple you when it's only ankle high. Fall down, the tide moves left or it moves right and is, at the same time, taking you further away from land. So the answer is <emphatically> "no".

[Songhua]

A strong undercurrent can whisk you away in waist-deep water, literally in seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTz_N9qO37A

[puukao]

Once I went to a beach with red flags every 10 feet. There were massive signs that read "Stay out of the water!!!" Another person told me, "Do not get near the water!! Get back now!!!!" They had ropes that hung signs, reading "Never, Ever go past this point!!!"

Ah, the waves didn't look that scary, so I grabbed my beach ball and headed in...

signed,

Darwin

Edited August 5, 2013 by puukao

[skippero]

Phuket has lifeguards most of the time. Karon Beach is notorious for very difficult

currents during the wet season. Mostly good during the high season.

[moe666]

Phuket Beach is dangerous this time of year because of the storms in the Adaman Sea which causes high waves and rip tides

[moe666]

Never ever turn your back on the ocean

[QualityTouristNumberOne]

Red flag means 'stay out of the water' period.

How far out are the red flags? Are you safe if you generally stay in waist deep waters?

Bloody hell that's scary! Are they that dangerous even during high season

I'm honestly not trying to be a smartass here,

but the sea doesn't care about "high season",

before you swim ANYWHERE,ANYTIME its a good idea to check what the conditions/possible dangers are.

[BrianCR]

As I said before, why look for intelligent life on other planets when there is none here!

[FlipSide]

I pulled 3 Thai students out of the surf, while a board rider got the 4th on a stormy Nai Harn beach, I was alerted by the Sunglass seller who ran up the beach to grab me.

These silly 17 year olds were all swimming in an obvious 'run out' way away from any flags. The worst part as they all got swept out together, they were all freaking out & weighed down (swimming Thai style) with jeans & t shirts, effectively doubling their weight & pulling them down. Meanwhile the life guards in the nearby tower sadly never made an appearance. Afterwards, the bright little Sunglasses salesman suggested I call the emergency number written on the nearby tower, low & behold, which he had also rung, still no answer after several attempts. All 4 of the drowning students wept in shock, while one kindly vomited all over my shoulder as I carried her out of the surf. After they had collected themselves. I gave them probably their biggest lesson yet 'here we are at the ocean.....'. Something most Aussie kids learn as normal. They were actually very nice polite Thai students and jolly thankful. Poor little country students first day at the beach.

.

[BrianCR]

, I was alerted by the Sunglass seller who ran up the beach to grab me.

Where the hell did she grab you? LOL

[Prettygirl051469]

We were down at Jomtien Beach recently. Stood by a large notice explaining swimming safety rules. Guess the other popular beaches might also have these notices?

[catweazle]

During my early nine years living on Kata Beach, there were numerous deaths by drowning reported for Karon Beach. Karon is the most dangerous beach for swimmers in all of Phuket due to the strong undercurrents it produces. A friend of mine actually almost died himself trying to save a tourist at Karon Beach some 15 years ago. Both in the end were rescued by a Thai man with a long rope attached to his body with several others pulling them back to shore.

Yeah, the clever ones here write - "Why do they all ignore the red flags?" - reason is, because most tourists don't understand what they mean. In my opinion, Karon should be closed off completely from public access from May until October/November and is in desperate need for a largely increased amount of rescue guards who need to monitor the beach from sunrise till sunset while the whole beach is fenced off completely during night time. Instead of those little red flags, there should be huge warning signs in the most common languages, translated by native speakers, and more education about this in newspapers and maps. Karon Beach sucks - literally!

Edited August 5, 2013 by catweazle

[jrtmedic]

"Lifeguards? I've never seen lifeguards on a Thai beach EVER."

Open your eyes !

Read the report it was THAI LIFEGUARDS who pulled this mob to safety !

​Its the same THAI lifeguards that put out the RED flags that people choose to ignore !

[Mrjlh]

ALL Red Flags should have a BIG "NO SWIMMING SYMBOL" painted on it!!

[jrtmedic]

Mrjlh

Sure you are right !

And the idiots will ignore the flag and your silly symbol

[HerbalEd]

Amazing the number of people who ignore Mother Nature and think they know better.

Yeah ... including almost every person on the planet.

[tingtongteesood]

No sympathy whatsoever, ignore the red flags at your own peril. What annoys me is that they make the local lifeguards getting paid a pittance have to risk their own lives to rescue their stupid asses, let 'em drown if they are that stupid to think they know better I say...

[ILMW]

I'm shaking my head reading many of these posts. I don't believe it matters what country you are from, what language you speak, RED is RED is RED. STOP-HOT-CAUTION-DANGER-DON'T PROCEED That is the purpose we use colors or symbols which are recognized internationally, whether it be an octogan STOP sign, RED light or a "RED SHIRT" <cough>. SO what you have never been to a beach before, I've never operated a train before but hell if I'd go walk in front of one.