ONE NEW Year holiday drowning and a spate of near-deaths in the sea off Phuket has prompted authorities to aim for year-round protection by training lifeguards properly on all beaches.
But a real rescue service may take time to implement.
Regular lifeguards are one of the reasons for the controversial island hotel tax that many resorts decline to pay because services are inadequate or flawed.
Chotenarin Kerdsom, Director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, today urged local authorities to combine to improve safety on the sand and in the sea for tourists and locals.
His call was echoed by Jayne MacDougall, one of the leaders of ongoing attempts to introduce the lifesaving culture to Phuket beaches and pools permanently.
Ms MacDougall, Director of Risk Management and Loss Prevention at Le Meridien Phuket, said there were reasons why the long weekend produced a drowning and near-catastrophes in the water off Karon and Nai Harn especially.
''During the holiday period, more people come to the beach but not so many of them are good swimmers,'' she said. ''Combine that with underccurrents, and you could have a disaster.''
The long weekend of mass rescues that included one drowning, plus three people being taken from the water in a semi-conscious state, brought the chief of the DDPM and Phuket Governor Dr Preecha Ruangjan to Nai Harn on Sunday.
Beach safety has become more of a problem because an 18 million baht a year contract by the island's Orborjor authority for lifeguards has been suspended since October.
The service was not considered satisfactory but so far, no alternatives have emerged.
For the time being, rescues are being performed by beach locals who proved to be the real heroes of the weekend of near-disasters in the water.
Nai Harn is rated the most dangerous beach in high season or low season by the DDPM.
Khun Chotenarin said that while other well-known beaches were also risky at times, especially in the monsoon season, Karon-Kata had its own lifesaving services in place.
In terms of protection this high season, the DDPM is attempting to join with local tessaban to provide lifeguards as often as possible.
But when the sea surface indicates there might also be turbulence under the water, swimmers are advised to go in near the lifeguards, ask their advice, and note red-flag no-swim days.
With the increasing population in the north of the island, Khun Chotenarin also plans to expand lifeguard protection to Mai Khao and Nai Thon beaches.
Protection is more assured and swimming is less risky at Patong and other popular beaches.
Since October, the Orborjor has been looking for a better system of paid lifeguards, without success.
Paiboon Upatising, Presdent of the Orborjor, told Phuketwan today that the old lifeguard service was not working satisfactorily but a new method of providing trained lifeguards had yet to emerge.
He now plans to involve the local authorities in a new system aimed at producing an adequate outcome.
Khun Paiboon said he did not know about the death of a woman tourist at Karon beach, although he had asked the Tourist Police if there had been any fatalities.
It's plain to Phuketwan and other onlookers that beach safety needs the safe kind of international standards and awareness applied as is found on many of the tourists' home beaches.
Ms MacDougall and other lifesaving pioneers organised the first Patong Surf Lifesaving Carnival last year and have been holding mini-carnivals for youngsters since.
''What's needed is a change in culture and education about how to swim and how to save people at pools and beaches,'' she told Phuketwan.
Phuket Drowning: Nai Harn on Rescues Alert
Photo Album An emergency rescue team was sent to the southern Phuket beach of Nai Harn in an alert over the number of near-drowning rescues and a fatality at Karon.
Phuket Drowning: Nai Harn on Rescues Alert
Phuket Road Deaths Drop, Drownings Continue
No lifeguards are manning Phuket beaches because of a gap between contracts, Phuketwan is told. And here are latest official figures on the road toll and accidents on and in the water.
Phuket Drownings Continue as Road Toll Drops
Phuket Lifesaving Gets Big Kick Up The Bum
Tight swimsuits and lashings of sunscreen mark the introduction of the surf lifesaving culture to Patong beach at Phuket's First Surf Lifesaving Carnival. Photo Album
Surf Lifesaving Gets Big Kick Up The Bum
But a real rescue service may take time to implement.
Regular lifeguards are one of the reasons for the controversial island hotel tax that many resorts decline to pay because services are inadequate or flawed.
Chotenarin Kerdsom, Director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, today urged local authorities to combine to improve safety on the sand and in the sea for tourists and locals.
His call was echoed by Jayne MacDougall, one of the leaders of ongoing attempts to introduce the lifesaving culture to Phuket beaches and pools permanently.
Ms MacDougall, Director of Risk Management and Loss Prevention at Le Meridien Phuket, said there were reasons why the long weekend produced a drowning and near-catastrophes in the water off Karon and Nai Harn especially.
''During the holiday period, more people come to the beach but not so many of them are good swimmers,'' she said. ''Combine that with underccurrents, and you could have a disaster.''
The long weekend of mass rescues that included one drowning, plus three people being taken from the water in a semi-conscious state, brought the chief of the DDPM and Phuket Governor Dr Preecha Ruangjan to Nai Harn on Sunday.
Beach safety has become more of a problem because an 18 million baht a year contract by the island's Orborjor authority for lifeguards has been suspended since October.
The service was not considered satisfactory but so far, no alternatives have emerged.
For the time being, rescues are being performed by beach locals who proved to be the real heroes of the weekend of near-disasters in the water.
Nai Harn is rated the most dangerous beach in high season or low season by the DDPM.
Khun Chotenarin said that while other well-known beaches were also risky at times, especially in the monsoon season, Karon-Kata had its own lifesaving services in place.
In terms of protection this high season, the DDPM is attempting to join with local tessaban to provide lifeguards as often as possible.
But when the sea surface indicates there might also be turbulence under the water, swimmers are advised to go in near the lifeguards, ask their advice, and note red-flag no-swim days.
With the increasing population in the north of the island, Khun Chotenarin also plans to expand lifeguard protection to Mai Khao and Nai Thon beaches.
Protection is more assured and swimming is less risky at Patong and other popular beaches.
Since October, the Orborjor has been looking for a better system of paid lifeguards, without success.
Paiboon Upatising, Presdent of the Orborjor, told Phuketwan today that the old lifeguard service was not working satisfactorily but a new method of providing trained lifeguards had yet to emerge.
He now plans to involve the local authorities in a new system aimed at producing an adequate outcome.
Khun Paiboon said he did not know about the death of a woman tourist at Karon beach, although he had asked the Tourist Police if there had been any fatalities.
It's plain to Phuketwan and other onlookers that beach safety needs the safe kind of international standards and awareness applied as is found on many of the tourists' home beaches.
Ms MacDougall and other lifesaving pioneers organised the first Patong Surf Lifesaving Carnival last year and have been holding mini-carnivals for youngsters since.
''What's needed is a change in culture and education about how to swim and how to save people at pools and beaches,'' she told Phuketwan.
Phuket Drowning: Nai Harn on Rescues Alert
Photo Album An emergency rescue team was sent to the southern Phuket beach of Nai Harn in an alert over the number of near-drowning rescues and a fatality at Karon.
Phuket Drowning: Nai Harn on Rescues Alert
Phuket Road Deaths Drop, Drownings Continue
No lifeguards are manning Phuket beaches because of a gap between contracts, Phuketwan is told. And here are latest official figures on the road toll and accidents on and in the water.
Phuket Drownings Continue as Road Toll Drops
Phuket Lifesaving Gets Big Kick Up The Bum
Tight swimsuits and lashings of sunscreen mark the introduction of the surf lifesaving culture to Patong beach at Phuket's First Surf Lifesaving Carnival. Photo Album
Surf Lifesaving Gets Big Kick Up The Bum
