PHUKET: Karon beach will be closed to swimmers today as a search resumes for a Chinese tourist who vanished into the surf at Phuket's most notorious beach at dusk yesterday.
The man, aged 27, was believed to have been on holiday on Phuket, staying in a Karon resort with his family. A succession of drownings, especially at Karon beach, has plunged Phuket tourism into crisis.
With the Royal Thai Navy and Marine Police due to look for the man as bad weather swirled onto Phuket, lifeguards have opted to try to close the deadly Karon beach to all swimmers today.
If the Chinese tourist has drowned, he will be the twelth recorded drowning at Karon since April 2010 - an unacceptable number that probably makes Karon beach among the most deadly in the world, especially during the April-November monsoon season.
An emergency meeting has been called for Karon municipal council offices today. While Karon resorts are bound to be most damaged by the drownings, news reports being carried around the world bring Phuket's entire tourism industry into disrepute.
New warning signs have been erected at Karon and other popular west coast beaches since the drowning of an Australian earlier this month.
But many tourists who buy a beach holiday on Phuket in the off-season ignore signs and red-flag beach warnings to swim anyway. Some resorts warn their guests about the dangers at Phuket beaches at this time of the year. Others don't bother.
Phuket's lifeguards say that by the time the holidaymakers enter the water, it's too late. At that stage, it's difficult for lifeguards to dissuade them from swimming.
The death of Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley, 43, was an example of a holidaymaker who chose to swim knowing the risks, but most other victims have been non-Thai and non-English reading and speaking.
Because of today's bad weather and the second disappearance of a tourist this month, lifeguards will string cord between red flags along Karon beach today and hope that swimmers get the message.
Here is a timeline of Karon's - and Phuket's - tragic recent history:
July 7 Body of Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley, who disappeared while swimming at dusk two days earlier, washes up at Karon.
June 17 The life of Russian tourist Irina Tsyz, 24, ends in a hospital intensive care unit after she is rescued from surf at Naithon.
May 14 Chinese tourist Wei Fuo Thang, 32, is pulled from the surf at Karon beach, then collapses and dies.
May 2 Phuket lifeguards report an April free of drownings on Phuket's popular west coast beaches. Karon beach - considered the most dangerous Phuket beach and the one with the worst recent record - has doubled lifeguard stations to six, manned by 16 lifeguards, overseen by a supervisor and a captain.
February 28 Karon is Phuket's most deadly beach, with nine deaths reported there since April 2010 compared to a total of four deaths reported at other Phuket beaches.
Phuket Drowning: Aussie Calls for Improvements at KaronThe man, aged 27, was believed to have been on holiday on Phuket, staying in a Karon resort with his family. A succession of drownings, especially at Karon beach, has plunged Phuket tourism into crisis.
With the Royal Thai Navy and Marine Police due to look for the man as bad weather swirled onto Phuket, lifeguards have opted to try to close the deadly Karon beach to all swimmers today.
If the Chinese tourist has drowned, he will be the twelth recorded drowning at Karon since April 2010 - an unacceptable number that probably makes Karon beach among the most deadly in the world, especially during the April-November monsoon season.
An emergency meeting has been called for Karon municipal council offices today. While Karon resorts are bound to be most damaged by the drownings, news reports being carried around the world bring Phuket's entire tourism industry into disrepute.
New warning signs have been erected at Karon and other popular west coast beaches since the drowning of an Australian earlier this month.
But many tourists who buy a beach holiday on Phuket in the off-season ignore signs and red-flag beach warnings to swim anyway. Some resorts warn their guests about the dangers at Phuket beaches at this time of the year. Others don't bother.
Phuket's lifeguards say that by the time the holidaymakers enter the water, it's too late. At that stage, it's difficult for lifeguards to dissuade them from swimming.
The death of Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley, 43, was an example of a holidaymaker who chose to swim knowing the risks, but most other victims have been non-Thai and non-English reading and speaking.
Because of today's bad weather and the second disappearance of a tourist this month, lifeguards will string cord between red flags along Karon beach today and hope that swimmers get the message.
Here is a timeline of Karon's - and Phuket's - tragic recent history:
July 7 Body of Australian tourist Jennifer Laidley, who disappeared while swimming at dusk two days earlier, washes up at Karon.
June 17 The life of Russian tourist Irina Tsyz, 24, ends in a hospital intensive care unit after she is rescued from surf at Naithon.
May 14 Chinese tourist Wei Fuo Thang, 32, is pulled from the surf at Karon beach, then collapses and dies.
May 2 Phuket lifeguards report an April free of drownings on Phuket's popular west coast beaches. Karon beach - considered the most dangerous Phuket beach and the one with the worst recent record - has doubled lifeguard stations to six, manned by 16 lifeguards, overseen by a supervisor and a captain.
February 28 Karon is Phuket's most deadly beach, with nine deaths reported there since April 2010 compared to a total of four deaths reported at other Phuket beaches.
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It's all about the red flags, many times do I see people ignore these clearly placed markers on the beach and swim outside the safe area. Do they ignore them because they are stupid ( BTW you can drown in an inch of water) or do they simply not understand the meaning. Regardless it's a tragedy for all.
Posted by TheCockneyRebel on July 22, 2011 09:41
Editor Comment:
It's not ''all about the red flags.'' Swimmers mostly ignore the red flags because they have been sold a beach holiday at a dangerous time of the year - and they are determined to enjoy their beach holiday. Some of them are non-English, non-Thai speaking, from places without beaches and red flags.