French woman drowns at unprotected Phuket beach

[webfact]

French woman drowns at unprotected Phuket beach

The Phuket News

 

Rescue workers recover the 23-year-old French tourist Anne Sophie Faisant Torrijos from rocks near Phuket's Nai Thon Beach. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET: -- A 23-year-old French woman drowned at a small beach south of Nai Thon on Saturday (Aug 20). The small beach is one of the few beaches in Phuket where lifeguards are asked not to patrol the waters to keep tourists safe.

 

Lt Thanakan Uchanaratsamee, an inspector at the nearby Sakoo Police Station, was notified at 4:09pm that a woman, later identified as French national Anne Sophie Faisant Torrijos, 23, had drowned at the beach.

 

“She was swimming with friends when the surf dragged her away about 30 metres away from the beach,” Lt Thanakan said.

 

“She was caught in the strong waves for about 20 minutes,” he said.

 

Kusoldharm rescue workers later recovered Ms Torrijos, unconscious and unresponsive, from the water near rocks beside the beach.

 

Attempts to revive Ms Torrijos were unsuccessful, Lt Thanakan said.

 

“They tried to revive her, but she did not respond and remained unconscious. She was rushed to Thalang Hospital, but doctors there pronounced her dead on arrival,” he added.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/french-woman-drowns-at-unprotected-phuket-beach-58787.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-08-22

[webfact]

French tourist drowns at Nai Thon

Phuket Gazette 

 

     

Rescuers pull ashore the body of the French tourist after a 20-minute search. Photo: Winai Sarot

 

PHUKET: -- A French woman drowned after swimming in a red-flag zone on Nai Thon Beach on Saturday afternoon. 

Anne Sophie Marie Torrijos-Faisant, 23, reportedly drowned as her friends looked on. They were unable to help as she was dragged out to sea by a rip current.

“We were told that Ms Torrijos-Faisant was swimming with her friends when she was dragged 30 meters offshore,” said Sakoo Police Lt Thanakan Utchanarassamee. “It took about 20 minutes for the lifeguards to find her, but it was too late to save her, and she was pronounced dead-on-arrival at Thalang Hospital.” 

 

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/French-tourist-drowns-Nai-Thon/65436?desktopversion

 

-- © Copyright Phuket Gazette 2016-08-22

[Somtamnication]

RIP, young lady. 

 

 

[Somtamnication]

For the rest of us...

 

 

[steelepulse]

I was at Nai Harn a couple days ago and a couple was caught in a rip with breaking waves on top of them and they couldn't easily just swim out of the rip, instead they were getting pounded by the waves. Luckily the lifeguards saw this and helped the couple out.

[55Jay]

Getting caught inside is no fun and even worse in a rip where you can't go against it and running parallel just keeps getting you pounded.  Water is often aerated and churned up, and can be really scary.

 

It's counter-intuitive for inexperienced swimmers, but the best thing is first recognize and accept you're in a rip, swim with it and duck dive under the waves.  You'll soon be outside the break and usually not much further, the rip will dissipate.  

 

And then the JAWS theme music starts playing in your head.

[Jimi007]

2 hours ago, steelepulse said:

I was at Nai Harn a couple days ago and a couple was caught in a rip with breaking waves on top of them and they couldn't easily just swim out of the rip, instead they were getting pounded by the waves. Luckily the lifeguards saw this and helped the couple out.

 

Waves don't usually break much in the area of a rip current, as I'm sure you know SP... We use rips to get out, then  swim or paddle over to the peaks. But I wasn't there.

[sahibji]

if there are no life guards, maybe warning signs ought to be put up.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

lifeguards are asked not to patrol the waters to keep tourists safe.

Then the Phuket authorities should shut down the beach knowing it isn't safe and post guards to enforce the shutdown.

[Flinstone]

swimming in a red-flag zone

 

Should be warning enough

[SOTIRIOS]

...does this make any sense....???

[sioux2012]

7 hours ago, steelepulse said:

I was at Nai Harn a couple days ago and a couple was caught in a rip with breaking waves on top of them and they couldn't easily just swim out of the rip, instead they were getting pounded by the waves. Luckily the lifeguards saw this and helped the couple out.

lucky for them they live to swim another day, koodos to the lifeguards job well done.

unfortunately, this young girl wont have the chance to swim again... RIP

[bearpolar]

10 hours ago, steelepulse said:

I was at Nai Harn a couple days ago and a couple was caught in a rip with breaking waves on top of them and they couldn't easily just swim out of the rip, instead they were getting pounded by the waves. Luckily the lifeguards saw this and helped the couple out.

 

was surfing at kata 3 weeks ago. I was really close to the beach. people about 8m away from me had knee deep water and my spot was 3m deep with strong current

i couldnt even jump on my board got stuck there at least 10m trying to swim sideways out of it while getting pounded by waves

 

it looks easy on the picture but its not.

[balo]

Always respect the red flags. Another unnecessary death.

 

[douglasspade]

Never - never - never underestimate the ocean, no matter where you from, how good you can swim, how many people are with you in the water or the amount of lifesavers on the beach. I have a sombre feeling about this, she was just 23    

R.I.P. Anne Sophie Marie Torrijos-Faisant -;-

 

God made air to suffocate men, fire to burn, water to drown, and earth - to bury them in.

Edited August 22, 2016 by douglasspade

[lvr181]

18 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

For the rest of us...

 

 

 

Very sensible but people need to know how to identify a rip. Maybe someone has some simple illustrations?

 

Prevention is always better than cure.

[xen]

I was always taught to look at the angle of the slope of the sand near the water's  edge . The steeper the the angle the more likely there is a rip pulling the sand out  , and the sea floor will drop away  quite sharply  . By the photo  it looks like rocks but the poor woman probably didn't enter the water there but in  the sand area in background.

Edited August 23, 2016 by xen
spellig