I own a legal trailer.. It requires its own number plate and annual road tax and inspections. It is a legally separate vehicle from the car that pulls it.

Why do these jetskis not also need a legal, tested, insured and taxes trailer ?? Why their special privilege ?

Posted by LivinLOS on October 27, 2014 18:11

how far off the beach are these corrals?

Posted by sky on October 27, 2014 18:18

Its a long drive if you want to launch your jetski LivinLOS!

170 jetskis on a 2.7 km beach is one per 15 m of beach (ok its raining and I'm bored). That's a heck of a saturation and surely there cannot be that much demand for them. 26 at Kamala works out at 1 per 65m of beach, based on a length of 1.7km. A better ratio but still not ideal.

Instead of capping the numbers of jetskis maybe it would be better to work out a sensible (oops- I used that word) ratio of jetskis per beach as it appears we are stuck with them.

Posted by Mister Ree on October 27, 2014 19:04

Make a small accident when they drive to the beach and see what happens.

Posted by Bjorn Ronningen on October 27, 2014 19:06

That just sounds completely absurd. 16 areas all along the beach-waterline is like letting them control the whole beach in Patong.That's not a compromise but a surrender to an unnatural Jet-ski beach.People are going to be dodging Jet-ski's and Para-sailor ropes all over the place !

Posted by Zig on October 27, 2014 19:09

Them buoys/corrals or floating mafia havens are such a wonderful thing to imagine! 16 of them in Patong? Seeing how Patong Beach is about 3 kilometers or so that puts a gang of them at every 180 meters or so! So much for having a safe swim. How far off the beach will they be? And after high season with the rough seas where will they be? ON THE BEACH methinks.... And is para-sail boats are not insured why are they even allowed???

Posted by James Bond on October 27, 2014 19:09

omg 16(!) points for that strip of Patong beach?
it is much more than number of public WCs available there
obviously much larger number of people wish to piss and offload during the day, and more often than to hire jet ski, wh not first serve those needs? together with showers and acceptable maintenance and hygiene standard

Posted by Sue on October 27, 2014 19:23

Kuhn Nucha keeps repeating that the jet skis are insured. Clearly, he doesn't understand how insurance companies work. They use actuarial tables not guesses to set premiums. With motorized vehicles they use damage and accident statistics compiled from licensed operators. How could they set premiums when the users here are a gigantic hodgepodge of riders of unknown skills? There are no statistics on such a group. If Kuhn Nucha is not lying then why are the renters asked to pay damages at all? Why doesn't he just submit a claim to the insurance company any time damage occurs? I'll tell you why; it's because the adjuster would laugh him out of the office. Please, Phuket Wan, respectively ask Kuhn Nucha to prove his claim of having insurance coverage, and be sure to run whatever paperwork he might produce by the insurance company.

Posted by Day on October 27, 2014 19:43

170 in Patong! When I am at Patong Beach, I see around 10 rentals per hour. I don't see that many lying idle. Someone's registered lots and is sitting on them. Use em or lose em.
BS that replacements are allowed. Goes against
old rule that would slowly reduce numbers by non-replacement.

Posted by GiantFan on October 27, 2014 20:34

@LivinLOS because they are protected by the powers that be and you aren't.

Posted by Tbs on October 27, 2014 20:47

Jet skis will never go away.

They make too much money for the operators and others from the damage scams.

The operators are obviously still going to set up on the beach to sell to the tourists. It is not noted how far out in the sea the corrals will be. My guess - about 1 meter offshore....

Posted by Tyler on October 27, 2014 21:19

Not really there yet are we...? Perhaps an improvement (on paper) but still lots of details that have not been thought through, clarified and thus plenty not to be enforced. Mmmm... Also love the science behind capping the number at the current number. Not much of a compromise from the operators there then, but with the support of the Marine Office why would they put the tourists first?

Posted by Duncan on October 27, 2014 22:30

170 in Patong?!?! Are they crazy? Massive over registration

As to locations, looking at my map about 50% of the sea will be given over the the jet skis...and we don't know what para sail people will get yet either..

This looks like it will be a repeat of the motocycle taxi jacket/taxi licence fiasco all over again. We will soon see "licenced" jets skis going for 10 times actual value of the jetski itself.

I really want to meet the people behind the jet skis, they seem like worth knowing as they are obviously the most powerful people on the Island, definitely more powerful than military/police (if not the same people)

Posted by Lashay on October 28, 2014 00:26

@MisterRee

I suggest 5 units at the South end, 5 at the North end and 5 jet-skis in the middle - opposite BangLa Rd.
1jet-ski per 180m of the beach - I like this setup, very sensible!
:D

Posted by Sue on October 28, 2014 01:47

too many people making too much money from these jet skis. Corruption in Phuket is in every part of society and will never be stamped out, moving the police commander who was doing a good job is proof of this. They will never kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Posted by shwe on October 28, 2014 07:48

TAT 's new Patong Niche Marketing

THE WORLDS BEST JET SKI BEACH

Posted by wm on October 28, 2014 10:58

Ed: I guarantee that insurance company has never paid a claim on an unqualified rider. The policy is for show only.

It would be remarkable easy to solve the ripoffs involving the jet skis; just some simple paperwork would do it. All that has to be done is to reverse the liabilities of the parties in the contract the tourists sign. As it is now the riders waive all their rights and everything is at the discretion of the operators. Technically they are not ripping off the riders since the riders agree in advance that the operators have all the say in a dispute. It clearly states in the agreement that the operator gets to determine what is damaged and how much it will cost to repair. That's why they're so conscientious about getting a signature and then waving the paper in the tourists face when things go wrong. The powers-that-be should tell the operators that they will not be forced off of their lucrative territories or be forced to rent only to qualified riders, but in exchange the rental agreements should relieve the riders of all responsibilities when it comes to damages. I'm sure that they would say that some of the riders would abuse the arrangement, and I'm also sure some would, but that abuse would never come close to what's gone on in the other direction. Since the business is illegal every which way around the operators should have to shoulder the negative consequences. The same arrangement should be applied to the motorbike operators, also. They too rent to unqualified riders so should have to assume the liabilities that result. It would be simple enough, but since it would mean fairness to tourists it's not likely to happen.

Posted by Day on October 28, 2014 11:51

the way they are going there will be 1 jet ski per tourist. The people in charge should take a daily walk through Jungceylon and Patong in general. its becoming a ghost town. This is Phukets last chance . very hard to get the tourists back once they leave,even the die hard regulars are going elsewhere.

Posted by john on October 28, 2014 16:18

170 jetskis allowed on Patong. Let that number sink in a while. Oh my Buddha.

40 on Kamala is more than twice they have now! Good thing they came up with that hard cap of 286. Give them another week it would be at 5000!

Posted by Pinot on October 29, 2014 15:03

Soon there will be time to move on. Find a better place than Phuket. Sorry to say it, but taxi is even more expensive now, and jetskis is more as well. Scams are going to be a daily issue here.
I will start looking for a new "home"

Posted by Peter on October 30, 2014 00:45

Tourist woman run over by jet sky jeep at kata beach. thai driver has no driving license. Action thai government? Rope off a part of the Kata public beach for jet sky operators. Mhhh, things develop well.

Posted by Kurt on October 31, 2014 11:42