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French Consul Pierre Blondel: seeking details of today's death

Phuket Dive Tragedy as Day-Trip Tourist Falls Sick Off Phi Phi

Saturday, December 10, 2011
PHUKET: The body of a French tourist is being held in the small hospital on Phi Phi island, a ferry ride from Phuket, after the man died unexpectedly on a diving day trip from Phuket.

While the full circumstances of the death of the man - believed to be elderly - are not known, a spokesperson for the diving company involved tonight briefly outlined the events leading up to the tragedy.

Four friends took the day trip to dive together, the spokesperson told Phuketwan. But the elderly man felt unwell and opted not to make the first two dives of the day.

His friends, however, impressed by what they saw under the water, coaxed him into making the third dive. The man emerged feeling unwell and became seriously ill soon after, the spokesperson said.

Rather than make the journey back to Phuket the vessel's captain sought assistance at Phi Phi, which was closer.

The Consul from the French Embassy, Pierre Blondel, who happened to be visiting Phuket today, is aware of the man's death and is overseeing the process of informing his relatives.

Comments

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What kind of friends coax a frail and elderly man, who obviously did not want to make the dives himself, into doing them anyway?

Posted by Markus on December 11, 2011 00:25

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Diving businesses in Phuket is out of control by the Thai Administration as safety on day dive trips is on the edge of breach of safety because discount/commission between dive operators and freelance foreign Instructors (Most not properly registered) is up to 60% of discount/commission of the brochure prices bringing dive boats operators to fill up day dive trips with more than 50 divers each day to make some profits and are offering 3 dives a day with less than one hour interval between successive dives.
Also as they are so many divers by dive boats, dive certifications and log-books are not properly examined if the divers are fit for diving.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on December 12, 2011 10:52

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@Whistle - I wish I could get a commission on your 86 word run-on sentence. Just as there needs to be a Dive Interval between successive dives, there needs to be a Sentence Interval between successive whimpers.

Posted by JingJing on December 12, 2011 21:59

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@JingJing,
Whistle-Blower is so pissed off at the dive industry in Phuket since the birth of SCUBA diving in Thailand! There is nothing to do about it and not much will change in the industry in Phuket. RIP for the old man should be in everyone's comment here...

Posted by Xexpat on December 13, 2011 20:37

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@JingJing & @ Xexpat
Do not forget that your comment are read by Thai people and reinforce the xenophobia against the foreign expat community.
Already many Thai dive shops and thai dive boat operators have lost their businesses within few years and those Thai people one day may hit you hard as without corruption most of foreign owned dive companies would not be able to settle in Thailand.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on December 13, 2011 21:24


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