PHUKET: Lawyer drowns at Naithon Beach, Phuket
Eakkapop Thongtub


Nattachanok Inamnoysri recovering in hospital.

PHUKET: -- A 46-year-old Lawyer from Chonburi drowned yesterday (August 11) at Naithon Beach in front of the Coconut Tree Hotel.

Beach guards at Naithon pulled two people, a man and a woman, out of the water. They were able to revive the woman, but had to perform CPR on the man.

Both victims were sent to Thalang Hospital for further treatment, but the man, Theechalat Kapang, later died in hospital.

The woman, Nattachanok Inamnoysri, 42, also a lawyer, but from Bangkok, told police they were on vacation. She said she and Mr Theechalat went into the water to wash off sand, but were dragged into the sea by a large wave.

“Where we washed our feet the seabed drops off suddenly. When the big wave hit us we slipped down the slope and the undertow pulled us further down into the sea,” Ms Nattachanok said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/lawyer-drowns-at-naithon-beach-phuket-47817.php

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I'm very sorry to hear of yet another drowning victim here in Phuket. Inshore holes caused by rip currents are extremely deadly for those who are unaware, unprepared and can't swim. There are massive sand shifts at this time of year! Stay out of the ocean unless you know what you're doing. I always take a long look at what is happening on the beach if I plan to go in. Where are the rip currents, where are the wave peaks, where are the rocks, what is the tide doing, way before I ever enter the water, also where I will catch waves and exit. Plus I always wear surf style swim fins that can help get me out of any trouble I may run into. But there is no substitute for experience… I sometimes use rip currents in my favor to get out to the surf, or avoid them if they look too bad. Be careful, the ocean very is unforgiving, although it has spit me out quite a few times! 

 

Can I resist saying the water there will be bad at that spot for weeks?

There is nothing to compare to the feeling of being jerked off your feet by the rip, pounded, somersaulted, slammed on the bottom, able to see the surface but powerless to reach it. The beaches at Phuket are treacherous. You can walk out many meters into the surf, and be standing in calf-deep water. Take three steps and drop into a hole where the water is over your head, just in time for the rip to come and kill you.

That's why there are beach/life guards, flags and other warnings everywhere.

 

Unfortunately many people think they know better.