Belgian man drowns at Suanson Pradipat beach

[Thaivisa News]

pic: Talay Hua Hin

Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan:- A Belgian man drowned in the Hua Hin sea inside the compound of the Army Rehabilitation and Recreation Center Suanson Pradipat Friday afternoon, police said.

Roger Darmul, 70, became the fourth person who drowned at the beach in five days. On April 13, three Thai tourists from Bangkok drowned at the beach.

Pol Lt Suranan Meephan, an officer of Hua Hin police station, was informed of the accident at 4:20 pm Friday shortly after tourists and troops brought the Belgian man out of the water.

Troops and rescuers of Sawang Hua Hin Thammasathan Foundation gave the man resuscitation. The Belgian, who had very weak pulse, was rushed to the Hua Hin Hospital but emergency doctors failed to bring him back. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Thirapat Akkaraphan, a Thai tourist, said he spotted the Belgian man partially floating face down so he and troops, who were patrolling the beach, rushed into the water to pluck him out.

The Belgian man’s Thai wife, Metta Chonprateep, 44, said she and her husband had been living together in Hua Hin downtown for five years.

Metta said her husband rarely swam in the sea but on Friday, he would like to visit the Suanson Pradipat beach and wanted to swim to cool off.

Metta said she did not watch her husband because he swam atthe shallow spot. When she saw people rush into the sea and shouted for help, she rushed to see and four her husband drowned.

After three Thais drowned at the beach, the local army and provincial administration increased the number of police and troops to patrol the three-kilometer-long beach.

[craigt3365]

RIP. He was a good friend of one of our neighbors.

[sirocco]

it's very sad what happened to these 4 people.

I will bathe every day, even very good swimmer, I remain very cautious. Rarely, the sea is very rough in Hua Hin, and when she is not playing the sly devils.

Perhaps this Belgian gentleman had a syncope because a heart attack? Perhaps carelessness.

[pchansmorn]

Wow i swim on that beach all the time, what I like about it is that the tide is not so rough and you can walk out a long way till it gets deep. I am surprised & shocked to hear of this many people drowning.

[craigt3365]

According to our friends, a big wave came in and swept him out. Quite a few deaths here lately. Very sad.

[mercman24]

R.I.P. wow i am in Hua Hin from 8 may for a holiday. i think i will stick with the hotel pool, seems a bit worrying as the previous op say he cannot understand it, seems like some rogue waves on that beach. i had it happen to me in GOA once, a rogue came in,took away all of the sand from underneath my feet, (i was in, only up to my knees) next thing i was 20 yards out. dam frightening, .

[Sparkles]

I pulled a guy out of the sea in Hua Hin several years ago.It was well south of the main beach and there was a rip running which he did not recognise.He was in bad shape.

Growing up on Australian beaches you know how dangerous the sea can be. He thanked me and promised me he would never swim there again.

There was not a single other person on the beach apart from my wife and myself. A timely warming to any tourist or casual swimmer..... respect the sea

[gyrosman]

Sad to hear of all of those lost souls. But many tourist don't understand a Rip-Tide which runs pararalle to the shore and will pull you down and well, you know the rest.

[Tycoon]

Unless you are experienced with the ocean and can swim to a decent level. Don't swim in the ocean as conditions can change

within minutes. Growing up in Australia I learnt from a young age about swimming in the break and it claims good swimmers from time to time.

Many asian people each year who can't swim to a decent level play Russian roulette with their lives and the ocean and lose out.

[raphoedon]

RIP I hope he went quickly, how horrible for his wife and his family.

[bobthomas]

Sad to hear of all of those lost souls. But many tourist don't understand a Rip-Tide which runs pararalle to the shore and will pull you down and well, you know the rest.

Actually, the current runs straight out ot sea. Some water does build up near the shoreline, but the main rip goes directly out and away from the shoreline.

It's lucky that many of our users on TV don't actually know the meaning of complicated words such as "Parallel" ...otherwise you might have given out some bad advice.

Also-, a rip doesn't pull you down under the water, (although it might seem that way when you get caught in one),

When caught in a rip, swim perpendicular to the rip.

If you were caught on a Railroad track- you wouldn't try to aviod and oncomming train by running away from the train on the railroad tracks- you would simply walk in a perpendicular line off of the tracks. The same principle applies to a rip.

Uncle Bob

Part time lifeguard- fulltime Saint

[Pdavies99]

According to our friends, a big wave came in and swept him out. Quite a few deaths here lately. Very sad.

Sorry to heat this, but have you ever been there? This beach on the military base is so protected and very shallow, that you get virtually no waves at all, so "a big wave" is very hard to believe.

That said RIP.

[craigt3365]

That is why everyone is so shocked. But this is what the wife has said, though I was not there.