PHUKET: Lifeguards rescued a holidaymaker who got into trouble on Patong beach as the body of a drowned victim was being recovered nearby this afternoon.
Six deaths have occurred on Phuket's west coast holiday beaches in the past four weeks, with the apparent drowning of American university student Joshua Shane, 21, making him the latest fatality.
Lifeguards on Phuket admit they struggle to keep tourists out of the sea even on days at this time of the year when the surf is clearly dangerous.
Resorts where the guests stay, having paid for Phuket beach holidays, do not always provide warnings of the dangers that holidaymakers can expect on Phuket's beaches as the south west monsoon sweeps in.
The weather has been even worse than usual this year, with huge quantities of water dumped on Phuket and surrounding districts.
To add to the toll of six beach deaths on Phuket in the space of four weeks, another two Phuket tourists have drowned in the same period when their inflatable raft overturned while they were enjoying a whitewater adventure on a river in Phang Nga, the province north of Phuket.
Here's the catalogue of deaths - all of them probably drownings with one possible exception - in the past four weeks:
May 18 With lifeguards absent from all of Phuket's beaches, Angelo Piazza, 53, disappears into the surf at Karon beach, south of Patong, and drowns.
May 20 On a day's outing to difficult-to-access Freedom Beach, between Patong and Karon, Frenchman Stephane Dacosta, 32, disappears into the water. He washes ashore at nearby Kata beach a day later.
May 27 Phuket's lifeguards, absent from Phuket beaches for seven weeks because of a contractual dispute, return to daily patrols of Phuket's 13 most popular west coast beaches.
May 30 Russian tourist Denis Korobogatov, 33, appears to be caught by a ''rip'' tide at Karon beach and dragged to his death.
May 31 An American kite surfer collapses in the shallows at Nai Harn, Phuket's most southerly beach, and dies soon after. His death may not have been a drowning but possibly a heart attack.
June 2 A young Thai visitor from Bangkok, Austatiwood Prommarat, 18, disappears into the surf at Patong after he and a relative allegedly hang their shirts on a warning red flag before going into the water. The relative is rescued.
June 8 A tourist from Egypt and a tourist from Kuwait, visiting Phuket, go on a whitewater adventure tour north of Phuket with friends. The friends are rescued when a monsoon-boosted stream overturns their raft. The two men drown.
June 12 American university student Joshua Shane, 21, goes missing at Patong on a late-night swim with friends. His body is found on June 14. Another swimmer requires hospital treatment.
The figure of six beach deaths on Phuket between May 18 and June 12 contrasts with just five drownings recorded for the whole of Phuket - including deaths in ponds and canals as well as beaches - in the first four months of the year.
Six deaths have occurred on Phuket's west coast holiday beaches in the past four weeks, with the apparent drowning of American university student Joshua Shane, 21, making him the latest fatality.
Lifeguards on Phuket admit they struggle to keep tourists out of the sea even on days at this time of the year when the surf is clearly dangerous.
Resorts where the guests stay, having paid for Phuket beach holidays, do not always provide warnings of the dangers that holidaymakers can expect on Phuket's beaches as the south west monsoon sweeps in.
The weather has been even worse than usual this year, with huge quantities of water dumped on Phuket and surrounding districts.
To add to the toll of six beach deaths on Phuket in the space of four weeks, another two Phuket tourists have drowned in the same period when their inflatable raft overturned while they were enjoying a whitewater adventure on a river in Phang Nga, the province north of Phuket.
Here's the catalogue of deaths - all of them probably drownings with one possible exception - in the past four weeks:
May 18 With lifeguards absent from all of Phuket's beaches, Angelo Piazza, 53, disappears into the surf at Karon beach, south of Patong, and drowns.
May 20 On a day's outing to difficult-to-access Freedom Beach, between Patong and Karon, Frenchman Stephane Dacosta, 32, disappears into the water. He washes ashore at nearby Kata beach a day later.
May 27 Phuket's lifeguards, absent from Phuket beaches for seven weeks because of a contractual dispute, return to daily patrols of Phuket's 13 most popular west coast beaches.
May 30 Russian tourist Denis Korobogatov, 33, appears to be caught by a ''rip'' tide at Karon beach and dragged to his death.
May 31 An American kite surfer collapses in the shallows at Nai Harn, Phuket's most southerly beach, and dies soon after. His death may not have been a drowning but possibly a heart attack.
June 2 A young Thai visitor from Bangkok, Austatiwood Prommarat, 18, disappears into the surf at Patong after he and a relative allegedly hang their shirts on a warning red flag before going into the water. The relative is rescued.
June 8 A tourist from Egypt and a tourist from Kuwait, visiting Phuket, go on a whitewater adventure tour north of Phuket with friends. The friends are rescued when a monsoon-boosted stream overturns their raft. The two men drown.
June 12 American university student Joshua Shane, 21, goes missing at Patong on a late-night swim with friends. His body is found on June 14. Another swimmer requires hospital treatment.
The figure of six beach deaths on Phuket between May 18 and June 12 contrasts with just five drownings recorded for the whole of Phuket - including deaths in ponds and canals as well as beaches - in the first four months of the year.
Keep up the good work Phuket Wan. Stories like this on your front page, may become boring to us regulars but at least give the chance of any new viewers to the site to read the dangers. Your constant warnings may just happen to save a life or two and hopefully more. These stories all feed into the search engines and are available to "newbies". It's like a bit much is still not enough.
Do a Google, "dangers swimming in Phuket" = PW on front page.
Posted by innocent bystander on June 15, 2012 12:25