FOUR children and a man narrowly escaped drowning yesterday in an incident that highlighted the growing dangers at some popular Phuket beaches.
Two expats and a third in a kayak helped to rescue the five who found themselves in difficulties as sunset approached yesterday at Nai Harn, a southern beach where undercurrents become potentially deadly in the coming monsoon season. And Phuket's beaches still do not have lifeguards.
At Phuket City's Vachira Hospital last night, the four children and the man told Phuketwan about their narrow escape. The children, still dressed in hospital gowns, were to be allowed to go home after treatment.
The man, who tried to rescue the children then needed rescuing himself, was being kept in the hospital overnight for observation.
The children, all cousins, were enjoying a family Songkran New Year holiday picnic at the beach - the cheerful prelude to many of Phuket's recent needless drownings. At least two children have already drowned at Nai Harn beach so far this year.
In the water, having a great time about 6.20pm last night, were Kanokrat Tongwan, 8, sister Nidchakul, 12, and 15-year-old Nawapon Aroonmas and his brother Woothipong, 14, who all live in Phuket City. According to the children, the youngest found herself in trouble first.
Her sister move to help her, but she too found herself struggling in the water. The two boys heard the girls' cries, and moved to help them.
Within seconds, the four children were being swept away from the shore, although all four said they could swim. The family on the beach, seeing the children in danger of drowning, called out for help.
Bystander Chotanan Totop, 28, who had recently started work at the Kalim Resort after arriving on Phuket from Trang, bravely plunged in to save the children.
Before long, all five were struggling in the water. Two expats in a canoe saw the commotion and immediately went to the help of the children.
Italian Raimondo Velgaudio, 32, who had been kayak-surfing nearby, also responded and was able to urge Khun Chotanan to grab a hold to be towed to safety.
''If it hadn't been for the farang with the boat, I would probably be dead,'' Khun Chotanan said from his hospital bed last night.
The children attributed their troubles to ''quicksand,'' and said the sand simply moved too fast underfoot for them to retain their positions close to the shore.
Experts would call it a ''rip,'' a swift-flowing undercurrent that often proves too strong even for reasonable swimmers. Nai Harn has at least one rip all year long, and other popular Phuket west coast beaches develop them between May and October.
As Phuketwan pointed out in reports last year, the growth of surfing on Phuket, along with other watersports, has greatly increased awareness of safety concerns and the chances of a rescue being carried out.
However, the presence of surfers is no substitute for trained and properly equipped lifeguards. The island's lifeguard service ended in mid-November and has yet to be formally restored, although moves appear to be underway to put lifeguards back on Phuket's key tourist beaches.
Kayak-surfer Mr Velgaudio, from Naples, said the key to survival in a rip was to not panic. ''It is difficult not to panic when a wave pulls you out to sea,'' he said. ''But that is what you must do.
''Let the wave carry you out. Float in the water. Save your energy. When the wave stops carrying you out, that's the time to seek help. The danger comes if people try to fight the water, they use up all their energy and drown.''
He said there was an urgent need for all children on Phuket to be taught to swim, and said he had been involved in about 15 rescues while enjoying kayak-surfing on Phuket over the past 18 months.
The message to Phuket's children is: When the ''quicksand'' feeling comes, relax. Don't panic. Float and survive.
Young Sisters Drown in Patong CanalTwo expats and a third in a kayak helped to rescue the five who found themselves in difficulties as sunset approached yesterday at Nai Harn, a southern beach where undercurrents become potentially deadly in the coming monsoon season. And Phuket's beaches still do not have lifeguards.
At Phuket City's Vachira Hospital last night, the four children and the man told Phuketwan about their narrow escape. The children, still dressed in hospital gowns, were to be allowed to go home after treatment.
The man, who tried to rescue the children then needed rescuing himself, was being kept in the hospital overnight for observation.
The children, all cousins, were enjoying a family Songkran New Year holiday picnic at the beach - the cheerful prelude to many of Phuket's recent needless drownings. At least two children have already drowned at Nai Harn beach so far this year.
In the water, having a great time about 6.20pm last night, were Kanokrat Tongwan, 8, sister Nidchakul, 12, and 15-year-old Nawapon Aroonmas and his brother Woothipong, 14, who all live in Phuket City. According to the children, the youngest found herself in trouble first.
Her sister move to help her, but she too found herself struggling in the water. The two boys heard the girls' cries, and moved to help them.
Within seconds, the four children were being swept away from the shore, although all four said they could swim. The family on the beach, seeing the children in danger of drowning, called out for help.
Bystander Chotanan Totop, 28, who had recently started work at the Kalim Resort after arriving on Phuket from Trang, bravely plunged in to save the children.
Before long, all five were struggling in the water. Two expats in a canoe saw the commotion and immediately went to the help of the children.
Italian Raimondo Velgaudio, 32, who had been kayak-surfing nearby, also responded and was able to urge Khun Chotanan to grab a hold to be towed to safety.
''If it hadn't been for the farang with the boat, I would probably be dead,'' Khun Chotanan said from his hospital bed last night.
The children attributed their troubles to ''quicksand,'' and said the sand simply moved too fast underfoot for them to retain their positions close to the shore.
Experts would call it a ''rip,'' a swift-flowing undercurrent that often proves too strong even for reasonable swimmers. Nai Harn has at least one rip all year long, and other popular Phuket west coast beaches develop them between May and October.
As Phuketwan pointed out in reports last year, the growth of surfing on Phuket, along with other watersports, has greatly increased awareness of safety concerns and the chances of a rescue being carried out.
However, the presence of surfers is no substitute for trained and properly equipped lifeguards. The island's lifeguard service ended in mid-November and has yet to be formally restored, although moves appear to be underway to put lifeguards back on Phuket's key tourist beaches.
Kayak-surfer Mr Velgaudio, from Naples, said the key to survival in a rip was to not panic. ''It is difficult not to panic when a wave pulls you out to sea,'' he said. ''But that is what you must do.
''Let the wave carry you out. Float in the water. Save your energy. When the wave stops carrying you out, that's the time to seek help. The danger comes if people try to fight the water, they use up all their energy and drown.''
He said there was an urgent need for all children on Phuket to be taught to swim, and said he had been involved in about 15 rescues while enjoying kayak-surfing on Phuket over the past 18 months.
The message to Phuket's children is: When the ''quicksand'' feeling comes, relax. Don't panic. Float and survive.
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Why do Thais feel the need to racially label someone in the third person, "Good thing the farang was around? " I hear this wherever I go, " Oh, farang..."
This slang term is not only rude but bigoted.
Editor: Why do cultural imperialists always criticise what they don't understand? We've been through this before, Horse Doctor. The word farang is not racist or rude or insulting, in most everyday usage. Only those farang leading a blinkered existence in Thailand see it otherwise. Do you have some point to make about beach safety, or are you destined to always have nothing of relevance to add?
Posted by Horse Doctor on April 13, 2010 10:47