Boat driver flees after striking British diver near Koh Tao

[gchurch259]

Are you dreaming or smoking "Left Hand Cigaretts ? Doubt they even have insurance and/or a license

If it was an accident then it was an accident and he does not need to flee, however fleeing does point to guilt IMHO.

Hope she gets good compensation and if it was negligence they prosecute the boat captain.

[Basil B]

Unfortunately see this all the time diving off Pattaya, boats and jet skis blasting around Koh Larn and Koh Sac with no regard for divers/snorkelers.

Fortunately I have only witnessed a couple of minor accidents.

While training or dive leading in these boat infested areas we are required to use a surface marker to indicate that divers are there! I hope they did the same in this case.

Personally I always try to surface close to the diveboat so the risk is minimised, unfortunately with novice divers this is not always possible!

I hope she gets treated and gets well soon!

Unfortunately SMB's are a magnet to morons on jetskis...

Recall years ago just off Koh Larn some guy on a jet ski just circling a SMB, wish they would do something about Jet skiers and boats that invade dive sites instead of just fining divers for not deploying SMB's.

[Shadychris]

Would the boat driver even know his prop had hit a diver? I would have thought that if it was a boat over 15 foot long there's a good chance that contact with a soft human body out of sight beneath the water might well go unnoticed... no?

[spidermike007]

Another bad day on Dark Tao. Accident or not, the captain of that boat which caused this injury is such a wimp and a coward. A half man. A shrimp. A stunted man child. I was going to say hope they catch him and punish him severely, but hit and run does not seem to be much of a crime here. And we all know about the famous police work on Dark Tao.

Edited June 10, 2015 by spidermike007

[evadgib]

Tragic accident. Koh Phanghan does have two hospitals and is slightly nearer. About time a helicopter service was on hand for such emergencies!

One was implemented around 2002-3. It lasted for just four callouts/patients before the maggot of corruption through no fault of the pilots or end users put an end to it & very nearly cost a Japanese tourist with a severed femoral artery his life. The current system (of evacuations by speedboat) was implemented in its wake.

Edited June 10, 2015 by evadgib

[SheungWan]

Would the boat driver even know his prop had hit a diver? I would have thought that if it was a boat over 15 foot long there's a good chance that contact with a soft human body out of sight beneath the water might well go unnoticed... no?

No.

[SheungWan]

Anything near the water is unsafe: ferries, jetskis, paragliding and diving. Have I missed anything out?

[Lupatria]

It's not important. The PM is busy with the issue of street racing...

[northernphil]

Still don't know why divers and Long Tail boats are both out there in the dark. I am presuming it was dark ,else the poor lady had been waiting around too long for aid.

[saminoz]

Anything near the water is unsafe: ferries, jetskis, paragliding and diving. Have I missed anything out?

Seafood.

[jackanapes]

not so idyllic koh tao sounds like a dangerous place nowadays especially diving and of course the usual end result a runner what is it with these people they have to run away .

[Basil B]

Still don't know why divers and Long Tail boats are both out there in the dark. I am presuming it was dark ,else the poor lady had been waiting around too long for aid.

Diving at night divers use touches, always good to have a back up, and probably a strobe as well, so even if under water the boat driver/captain would have seen the lights.

Again quoted she was on a diving lesson swimming to the shore, highly unlikely she diving at night unless doing a Night Diver Speciality.

and "swimming to shore" would indicate they had completed the dive and were on the surface.

Have read some more but the Bangkok Post prohibits ThaiVisa using it's content so can not quote...

Edited June 10, 2015 by Basil B

[Will33324]

I have taken a dive trip out of Koh Samui to dive "Sail-rock" which was in open water off of Koh Tao. The dive shop has hired the boat to transfer and return with all their divers. Tracking that individual down would be short work. I cringe when I read about this type of accident happening to anyone. What a nightmare for that poor child who was trying to experience life with an extreme sport. Only wat to keep novice divers safe is to have a one on one certified trainer with each new diver on a first time dive. NO one should ever dive at night inexperienced! A miracle that she made it to hospital to get care.

[Happy Grumpy]

Fled, eh.

Wow, never read that in a Thai news report before.

[Basil B]

I have taken a dive trip out of Koh Samui to dive "Sail-rock" which was in open water off of Koh Tao. The dive shop has hired the boat to transfer and return with all their divers. Tracking that individual down would be short work. I cringe when I read about this type of accident happening to anyone. What a nightmare for that poor child who was trying to experience life with an extreme sport. Only wat to keep novice divers safe is to have a one on one certified trainer with each new diver on a first time dive. NO one should ever dive at night inexperienced! A miracle that she made it to hospital to get care.

Having read another report now, the story is a little different...

They were swimming to shore, the other boat belonged to another dive centre, they gave assistance and called emergency services, the captain did not flee.

Still a lot of questions need answers.

[northernphil]

I think there is a niche in the market for cheap running shoes. Taxi drivers could keep a pair when at work ,as could fruck drivers ,mini bus drivers . VIP bus drivers and boat drivers. They could hang them up on a piece of string like the fluffy dice in the '70s.

[TheKnave]

Thailand, is a very dangerous place. Tourists and expats beware. Nothing is ever what it seems! And there god is profit!

THEIR god !!!

Move the unnecessary comma from after "Thailand" in the first sentence, and put it after "there", and it makes perfect sense.

Economy, that's the ticket...

[robertthebruce]

Anything near the water is unsafe: ferries, jetskis, paragliding and diving. Have I missed anything out?

Yes, Driving a Car , Scooter or even Cycling.... Is all dangerous....oh and Try crossing the road at a Zebra Crossing, you will be flattened....

[balo]

KOH TAO again.

The boat driver was not Thai for sure.

Are they already looking for a scapegoat from Myanmar?

It is time this infamous island disappears from all catalogs of tourist destinations

and that all the crooks there get what they deserve

and the honest people there, too.

No , they are looking for the son of the headman who was observed at the island speeding the boat but he is now back at university in Bangkok, video footage has already been released to confirm he never left the building .

[cracker1]

Follows is story fro NZ Herald June 10/2015

$155,000 equals about 3,700,000 baht.

What fine will the driver of the boat that injured the English diver at Koh Tao face ?

Propeller death: Company to pay $155k

Whangarei diving company Dive Spot and its co-owner are to pay $155,000 after pleading guilty to a charge over the death of a diver struck by a propeller.

[ableguy]

If it was an accident then it was an accident and he does not need to flee, however fleeing does point to guilt IMHO.

Hope she gets good compensation and if it was negligence they prosecute the boat captain.

Compensation from whom, a life is only worth a hundred grand, you think Thais carry insurance !? She will finish up with large hospital bills unless the government steps in, don't hold your breath.

Sorry if this sounds negative, just a case of being real.

[Guest]

I am a diver.

This is a diver's nightmare.

What a tragic accident.

Really, no words can sum up the loss she has suffered, and I know we all wish her God Speed in her recovery>

I know it sounds corny .. but could everyone just take a moment, visualize what she is going through, and send some prayers, good vibes,.. her way?

[arrowsdawdle]

KOH TAO again.

The boat driver was not Thai for sure.

Are they already looking for a scapegoat from Myanmar?

It is time this infamous island disappears from all catalogs of tourist destinations

and that all the crooks there get what they deserve

and the honest people there, too.

How did the B2 manage to get out of jail and commit yet another crime?

[stevensg]

Follows is story fro NZ Herald June 10/2015

$155,000 equals about 3,700,000 baht.

What fine will the driver of the boat that injured the English diver at Koh Tao face ? Propeller death: Company to pay $155k

Whangarei diving company Dive Spot and its co-owner are to pay $155,000 after pleading guilty to a charge over the death of a diver struck by a propeller.

May I know the price to dive there?

Common sense, if they wanted to pay discounts price they have discount good or repayments.

You get what you pay for, fair and square.

As for the young lady, do heal fast...

[arrowsdawdle]

I am a diver.

This is a diver's nightmare.

What a tragic accident.

Really, no words can sum up the loss she has suffered, and I know we all wish her God Speed in her recovery>

I know it sounds corny .. but could everyone just take a moment, visualize what she is going through, and send some prayers, good vibes,.. her way?

How about praying for those that can still avoid the KT live fire zone of open season target practice on foreigners so that future tragedies can be preempted? How could Brits not know they aren't welcome there?

[Basil B]

There are now three other news sources reporting this story, all are pretty much consistent in the story they tell, which differs from the OP.

• Location Koh Hin Sam Kon, near Koh Nang Yuan.
• Koh Tao police investigator Pol Lt Col Napa Saenathip has stated the boat driver did not flee the scene.
• She receive initial first aid at the scene before being taken to a hospital on Koh Tao then she was transferred to the Thai International Hospital on Koh Samui.
• ​She was doing a Discover Scuba course, this is a introduction to scuba diving for beginners, with a very basic induction, no way would this be a night dive.
• ​Injuries are said not to be life threatening, reported she lost a lot off blood, has server lacerations, and two fractured bones, picture shows the lower part of her leg pined in a support frame indicating a substantial fracture(s).
• Boat driver is quoted as saying he was backing his boat when it hit rocks, he then backed the boat again and hit the young ladies leg.

​I can not find the location on the map but I suspect this was actually on the Island Koh Nang Yuan, when I was there (snorkelling), there were lots of divers, (DSD's) lined up on the beach, and in the water waiting their turn, (images of Dunkirk come to mind), they were being towed out by instructors two at a time and towed back again after the dive, basically conveyor belt diving, I said instructors but more probably what ever the minimum rating required to take out DSD's.

I can now picture the last few divers completing their dives and an impatient boat captain reversing his boat up so can load up all his dive centres equipment off the island.

I do hope the young lady makes a full and speedy recovery, I also hope the diver certification body(s) to which Suba Shark and Roctopussy are affiliated (PADI or whoever) will be investigating this too.

[Guest]

I am a diver.

This is a diver's nightmare.

What a tragic accident.

Really, no words can sum up the loss she has suffered, and I know we all wish her God Speed in her recovery>

I know it sounds corny .. but could everyone just take a moment, visualize what she is going through, and send some prayers, good vibes,.. her way?

How about praying for those that can still avoid the KT live fire zone of open season target practice on foreigners so that future tragedies can be preempted? How could Brits not know they aren't welcome there?

Clearly you have missed the point, but please ... let no opportunity to escalate this go by. Is it not possible to put out a positive message without a Troll pissing on it?

I am not sure if you understand the word "accident." I am guesing you do not because your posting implies that the boat driver did this on purpose? is that what you believe?

Really?

Or are you just a ver angry person who paints everything with a broad brush without giving the facts any thought? I am guessing that is closer to the truth.

I think your time in the Kingdom (if you actaully are even in Thailand) has reached its "Use By Date" and it is time to pack it up and go back to your "Farangatopia"

Guessing you have two legs .. be grateful for that .. think of the girl .. send her a get well wish, if you have any humanity left in your heart.

[Nobb]

Why is Thai social media not angered by this fleeing boat driver. Thailand is getting worse every day. Grow up! Tourist are your lively hood but flee boat drivers will be your down fall!

[Sviss Geez]

Why is Thai social media not angered by this fleeing boat driver. Thailand is getting worse every day. Grow up! Tourist are your lively hood but flee boat drivers will be your down fall!

Because, Nobb, (is that the correct spelling?) he didn't do a runner, that's why.

[Basil B]

Why is Thai social media not angered by this fleeing boat driver. Thailand is getting worse every day. Grow up! Tourist are your lively hood but flee boat drivers will be your down fall!

As already pointed out...

There are other news reports in the public domain, one I know I can not quote, and the others I do not know if I can, (google is your friend!!!) but they all clearly state the Boat captain did not do a runner, it is reported he and his boat crew assisted in the rescue.

This is becoming a none story, it is equal to the many road accidents that involve tourists daily that go unreported.

But as a recreational diver myself I have an interest in safety standards, and there are other questions to be answered, most importantly why the accident happened in the first place, not to kick butts but to hopefully see that such accidents never happen again.

Almost certainly that it was not the young ladies fault she was a doing a Discover Scuba dive, this not even diver training, but just something to give people an experience of diving, but failings of the instructor &/or Boat captain and crew, too often I have witnessed Jet Skis and speed boats operating in close proximity to divers and can recall one instance of a dive boat speeding across a dive site where there were many divers underwater at the time, as a diver it not unusual to hear boats above, even encountered a yellow sub on one dive and on another dive experienced shock waves from fishermen dynamiting fish even though the offending boat was some distance away.

Separating boats from divers, snorkellers and swimmers is an issue that Thailand needs to tackle with the greatest of urgency.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Basil B