Another example of how cheap life is in Thailand, not only in lack of safety, education on the same but even when dead little respect shown. The Police should have gone to the place of death and interviewing everyone at the very least. Cheap Charlie Thailand!

Posted by Life is cheap on November 18, 2015 17:37

They may or may not establish cause but the raising fundamental questions about proper procedures, safety and security have gone on decades here there's just no coronial system to implement change to prevent it reoccurring just imagine if they did that after the first snorkel trip drowning (mostly Chinese if not all)that toll is well in higher double figures yet is ok the cause was and the same thing happens next week this so addresses nothing in prevention, also there are apparent cover ups like being hit by a boat propeller its not honest or appropriate to give the cause as a drowning statistic long over due Thailand has coronal enquiries be transparent and implements recommendations for prevention and follow thru on frequent bad work practices to what ever is required to prevent a future death.

Posted by slickmelb on November 18, 2015 19:48

I'm guessing there was another untrained and unconcerned boat/tour operator involved (rather not involved). Unacceptable, and this should deliver a huge black eye to Phuket tourism...but it won't...because nobody seems to give a crap except this poor girl's friends and family...and other caring people. Thais seem incapable of looking after the welfare of tourists...no matter where they are or what they are doing. Shame shame shame on Thailand.

Posted by Richard Vickers on November 18, 2015 23:40

It is very simple. All what foreign tourists are doing by boat trips, thai do not. ( you never see a thai tourist on these trips)
So, for the thai who make money with the day boat trips, the safety of non thai people is not their priority.
Make money is there priority.
Thai Authorities, Khun Santi, Marine police, Phuket Marine 5 office, etc, should worry about all this and take action in prevention and how to act protocols by these thai speedboats and dive people.
Until now we just see time after time that the life of a foreigner is not important in thai sea going leisure industry.
( training boat crews, cpr, and so on.)

Posted by Kurt on November 19, 2015 13:38

Kurt

I was in Krabi last year for Songkran and went on one of these snorkelling boat trips (GF insistence), everywhere was full and 95% of the people there were Thai

Posted by Michael on November 19, 2015 16:20

Hi there, i was there on the beach. Witness the whole incident. Any authority if you need to contact me for info, let me know. i have only returned to my country just last night. It happened the day before ie. Nov 17th slightly before noon. They called this the Coral island (south east est about 45mins speed boat ride from Phuket main island) i was on the beach browsing around. The lady was among a big group of the korean couples. They were in doing (maybe learning) scuba diving. Looks like there were few Thai instructors leading them. When i first noticed, i seen 2 of them. One of them looked like a Thai (thought was the instructor) he was with this korean lady with him, same time shouting to the batches of many couple (distance looks about 15-20 metres in front of them) he just shout out "Ooi" NOTE not "help" few times. The ''Ooi''' sounded more like trying to get the attention of the rest to listen to him while he was teaching scuba diving. Thus, many of us who heard him didn't know this urgency until after about 5 mins, then i seen a man dashing into the water from my behind. When that Thai man 1st shouted, the lady was still alive, moving her head around - thus, it didn't at all looks to me as any issue until another man came along to help. When she was half-pulled out from the water to the beach, i realised that she kind of lost conscious already. From the water to the beach, distance about 20-30metres or so. Someone tore her diving suit, try to let have more air I supposed. Think there were few who knows CPR, pumping her. Knew a trained life-guard (he was with us) also ran to help pump her but returned shaking his head. During that time (span of about 3mins), I have noticed her face turned from pale white to slightly greyish black and her belly bloated within these few mins. Seen a plump Korean guy beside her at the beach (he was not with her when in the water), don't know what he was talking, he was helpless anyway. The entire scene happened within 8 mins (less than 10mins for sure). I just felt that the 1st 5mins when that guy in the water beside this Korean lady shouting only ''Ooi''' was so precious, her life would have been saved if he had shouted ''help''' instead. I don't swim, but I would know what is help and so did everyone would rush to it instantly. It was sad to see a precious life wasted in so very short time. Actually, before I read this message only noting that she was only 20years old. Thought she look like 30+ as she was slightly plump in build, thought she might have a seizure or heart attack while in the water : [ but she was actually so young - this is real sad, that image had been ringing in me and among my friends for quite some time
i just read another news report on this. It said that victim was 36 years old. I thought she looked more like that age instead of 20 years old.

Posted by clairo on November 20, 2015 01:04

@Clario are you telling us the so called instructor just yelled out oiii and made no attempt at rescuing one of his charges and left that to whoever responded eventually?

Posted by slickmelb on November 21, 2015 00:04

@slickmelb
Yes, it was exactly what I have observed. Not sure if he was an instructor, but he was a Thai in wet suit with them. He was having the Korean lady afloat beside him, and I have noticed that the lady was moving her head. They were on the same spot, with him yelling ''Ooi'' for like 5mins. All this while, he didn't swim back nor drag her back shore.
His shout was not rapid, with intervals of pausing. The pair was facing the other batches of Korean couples, about 15-20 metres in front of them. Thus, it looked to me as if he was trying to get their attention while coaching them about scuba-diving in pairs. The whole scene looked normal to me, until a Thai guy behind me went dashing into the water swimming towards them then I realised something was amiss. This guy took over from him to bring her back. When reaching shallower water, he seemed to have difficulties then I noticed she looked limped already. Another Thai ran in to lift her 2 legs, together this pair put her down on the beachside before doing CPR, etc. The Thai guy in the water swum back to the beach on his own.

Posted by clairo on November 21, 2015 12:46