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

[jojodontyouknow]

It is still NOT illegal to be stupid

Were they all Russians?!?

I am Russian, and I am not stupid in the least

[jojodontyouknow]

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.

Not to mention that these idiots are so inconsiderate to put the lives of the lifeguards in danger too. But why think of the safety of others when it is imperative that you get at least one swim in on your Thailand vacation

[pattayadingo]

In the image, the surf is still VERY small. It would hardly be a yellow flag in Australia.

I doubt many people would even bother trying to ride those waves as they are hardly big enough to do anything with.

Depends on the currents and the undertow on that particular stretch. Not really to do with the size of the waves. Waves you can dive through, under, over but the undertow can suck you down very fast.

Only idiots would ever go out into the sea when red flags are flying. They are there for a reason, not for decoration.

[atyclb]

90% of people have no business being in the water when the surf is up like that. Especially on Karon beach. When I go surfing down Kata I am wary but excited when the seas are rolling in like that with onshore winds .... its messy, and for a swimmer it is pretty dangerous. Generally good swimmers also know not to get in when it looks lumpy like that ... so the ones who go in are inexperienced. Or sometimes unable to swim.

Should pertain to 90% of surfers also. Typical blown out wind chop. Not bad just to get exercise. These kind of waves can be relentless one after another without a calm between sets. Often just slam down, closeout without suitable form for surfing. Can be danger to unwary swimmers.

[IsaanUSA]

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.

No kidding. I live 1000 miles from the closest ocean. I wouldn't know what the flags are for.

I never go above waist deep anyways. I'm scared of ocean sea creatures.

[DrDweeb]

Man, what a crazy set of posts. I conclude that half of the posters are Aussies (like me) and know what a rip is, how to spot it and how to avoid it and if accidentally caught in one, how to survive it.

As for some of the rest of you, &lt;deleted&gt; do you think those bright red flags are for? Without being too culturally insensitive, you need to be a caveman to be incapable of deducing their meaning.

I live at Surin Beach some of the time and it is dead easy to get washed out to sea and drown there. I don't know ANYONE who hasn't rescued some Taiwanese/Russian/"fill in the blank" tourist from the beach there. I have done it a relatively calm day where it wasn't the surf or rips that was the problem, but the fact that the induhvidual could not swim and was wearing clothes instead of swimming attire. Damn some people are too ignorant to be allowed out, seriously.

In Danish (a great seafaring nation) we have a saying "Kun en tåbe frygter ikke havet". Loosely translated means "Only a fool does not fear the sea" and it astounds me that this simple lesson has apparently not been taught to so many people. OK, some people are idiots with confidence in their abilities that they don't possess, and Darwin's theory holds for them as they eliminate themselves from the gene pool. But for others, simple caution and a sensible respect for good 'ol' mother nature is all that should be required.

Question: How many Australians have drowned on Phuket in the last 5 years? I am guessing not too many and there is a solid reason for that.

[IsaanUSA]

&lt;deleted&gt; do you think those bright red flags are for? Without being too culturally insensitive, you need to be a caveman to be incapable of deducing their meaning."Only a fool does not fear the sea" and it astounds me that this simple lesson has apparently not been taught to so many people.

I wouldn't even know what to look for. There are flags everywhere in Thailand. Maybe they put flags up for decoration.

Like I said, the closest ocean to me is 1000 miles away. Why would they teach us sea knowledge? They teach us "look before you leap" meaning since lakes and rivers are usually brown, you have no idea how deep it is, so don't just blindly jump in the water because you could break your neck, which people do.

If I had never been to Thailand in my life, then I could say that I saw the ocean/sea just 3 times in my life.

[TimTang]

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.

A few years back I had just arrived at Ko Chang and was taking a leisurely walk bare-foot along the beach in ankle deep water, just checking the place out. Suddenly the rip tide sucked my legs right out from under me and I fell splat on the sand and water. I could feel the water trying to suck me in but luckily I was mostly still on the sand. I just got up scared $hitless and thought I won't be going in there any time soon. There weren't ANY flags on the beach that day.

About an hour later I was eating at a beach side restaurant and I noticed a crowd gathered around a few hundred meters down the way. I ran over to see what it was and by the time I got there, there were two dead Japanese girls lying on the beach. A doctor there tried everything to revive them but to no avail.

Since that incident I'm always VERY careful to check the conditions before entering the water.

[RigPig]

Let the BIB get some "tea money" from the idiots !!

That should help curb their stupidity, just fine them for swimming when the flags are out, they'll soon get the message the hip pocket deterrent always works....

It should be split up with the lifesavers of course they are the one's I feel for

[ajarnpot]

 

It is still NOT illegal to be stupid

Were they all Russians?!?

 

This is so true. But is it illegal to slap stupid people .....................

[DoctorG]

In China red flags and decorations denote joy and prosperity, so we have to be a little cautious in thinking that everyone will be aware that a red flag stuck up on the beach means "danger".

[limbos]

According to the Dutch newspaper 'De Volkskrant, already 90 people died of drowning in France this year.

Edited August 5, 2013 by limbos

[Kruzon]

Was this a RIP Tide ... as I never heard of a wave taking a person out to sea. but rip tides they are like a river in the ocean and if you swim across them eventually you will come out of the ripe tide .. but if you swim against it, like a river, you may well become exhausted and drown!

http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/overview.shtml

[affen02]

The times they are changing. No traveling trains, no traveling bus, no flying airplanes, no driving car, no arguing with drunken Thai, and now, no swimming. Its a dangerous world and its a dangerous country we live in but still so beautiful. RIP to the unfortunate tourist who lost his life, and to all you other, please be safe out there. All the best from Surin.

[Smegs]

It needs to be made clear that at this time of year on Phuket it is the RIP under the surface that people need to be aware of. You cannot fight it and it is strongest mid-beach

[bangkokheat]

cant blame this one on the thais

[Espinete]

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

Yes you're right, 'Adventure'. Go to a place where you guaranteed get ripped off. Put your grandson on a rented jet ski and send me your experiences. Before + 10 Ambassadors ask to clean up the scam to the local authorities, a lot has happened.

[laurentbkk]

It is still NOT illegal to be stupid

Were they all Russians?!?

Yes you are right , its not illegal to be stupid .

[Dukeleto]

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

The red flags are before you enter the water. No, even waist deep water is dengerous because if there is an undertow you will be in deeper water in seconds. Red flags = no swimming.

[laurentbkk]

cant blame this one on the thais

yes totally agree , the last weekend in France has seen more than 10 people drowned because they didn't respect the red flag. It can happen anywhere.

[stevenl]

I grew up on a beach, so understand what red flags are, but I am sure that most people in the world do not. They may even think it means swim here.

Even in Australia there are signs put up "Beach Closed Dangerous" etc, and the life guards would warn you off. I saw an Asian guy on Samui drown ( just after ) in shallow water years back. one foot waves and shallow out a hundred metres.

Also people from many non-swimming countries like England ( lol ) would try and fight the rips until they tire and drown. Waves have power for sure in Phuket.

tc

Those same signs are here.

And if 'most people in the world do not know what it the color red means' they have to learn how to think.

[99jaapie]

Folks

This is the Andaman sea, not the Gulf of Thailand, the flags are prevalent at most of the beaches in Phuket at certain times of the year - it's not so much the size of the wave, but the undercurrent is wicked - this can be seen by the angle of the sand to the water.

These people obviouly hadn't spoken to anyone. Everybody who lives in Phuket will tell you that that most of the beaches are dangerous at this time of the year (yes even the theiving baht bus drivers !).

With the exception of Patong and a couple of lesser know other's that is pretty much the case in Phuket.

[monkeycountry]

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.

I do not think wellred has an "attitude". It sounds like he thinks the red flags are in the water, showing how far out you can go. Ie. you can go out to where the red flags are, and no further. I would guess that a lot of Russians, mainland chinese etc., who have never seen the ocean before, might not know how the red flags work either.

wellred, the red flags are on the beach, not in the water. They signal that you should not go into the water at all. While waist deep water might seem safe, a sudden big wave can quickly change waste deep into very deep, and the undercurrent can pull your feet/legs so hard you lose your balance, and then pull you back out into deeper water. Sometimes even good swimmers cannot beat the strong current, and therefore cannot get back to shore. After a while trying, they get tired, panic and drown.

[michael888]

the rip currents are the problem at Karon beach. They are actually pretty bad there sometimes. don't ignore the flags. swim parallel to the beach to get out of a rip.

[jeff2258]

i think people travel across the globe and spend a lot of money to go on vacation and by god they are going swimming, red flag or not.

And end up in body bag?? Those people who spend lots of money to get killed somewhere away from home is not qualify to travel.

[lmaxv]

It's probably a warning due an undertow created by big wave action which can lead to to a rip current, much more dangerous. The sea goes out faster than a person can swim in. Swim parallel to the shore then in.

[paymaster]

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

I can tell u r not familiar with the dangers of the surf and that makes your question a valid one and deserving of a civil answer. One of the greatest dangers here is that red flags indicate dangerous and unseen rips, currents and undertows. All these are terms to describe the movement of water caused by tides, currents and unpredictable wave size. The most common cause of people getting into trouble when still "in their depth" is the sudden collapse of a sand bar, that they are standing on, due to currents and they are then "out of their depth". A rogue unpredictable wave is probably next most common cause for people in their depth and they are simply carried out as the wave flows back to sea. So in answer to your question...... No. There are no safe ways around a red flag except to stay out of the water.

[wellred]

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

The red flags are before you enter the water. No, even waist deep water is dengerous because if there is an undertow you will be in deeper water in seconds. Red flags = no swimming.

Ok thanks. As you may have guessed I'm not someone who spends much time at the beach. Could someone please educate me (preferably in a non abusive or derogatory way) on if these flags typically go up during low season? Ie is high season a different matter in terms of swimming?

[Jimi007]

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

The red flags are before you enter the water. No, even waist deep water is dengerous because if there is an undertow you will be in deeper water in seconds. Red flags = no swimming.

Ok thanks. As you may have guessed I'm not someone who spends much time at the beach. Could someone please educate me (preferably in a non abusive or derogatory way) on if these flags typically go up during low season? Ie is high season a different matter in terms of swimming?

Yes! High and low season are totally different in terms of swimming at west coast beaches. Low season is also known as monsoon season. The wind in "high season" typically comes from the east and there isn't much if any surf and no monsoonal storms. With the monsoon season, the winds shift to the west and storms come from the west which increases the size of the surf. The surf shifts the sand on the beaches making sand bars and inshore holes in the sand. Rip currents occur because of the large surf and shifting sands. Check this video from the USLA about rip currents.

[wellred]

Thanks for that ^^