Thread: Phuket: Close Karon Beach on dangerous days?

Phuket Lifeguards Say 'Let's Close Karon Beach'
By Chutima Sidasathian and Alan Morison
Saturday, October 30, 2010

Karon beach, long and inviting, but not always safe to swim

KARON beach may have to be closed on dangerous days to prevent further tragedies and long-term harm to Phuket's tourism industry, says the leader of Phuket's lifeguards.

His assessment of Karon - and Phuket's other best-known beaches - comes as the Phuket Lifeguard Club marks six months overseeing safety on 13 of Phuket's most significant and often underappreciated tourism assets.

For Prathayut ''Nut'' Cheryon, it has been a testing half-year - but a half-year that has turned around the approach to safety on Phuket's beaches.

While the number of deaths from drowning is still too high for a tropical island that needs to ensure the safety of its beach holiday visitors, the toll so far in 2010 is virtually half what it was at this point last year.

Much of the credit for this goes to Khun Nut, his team, and the people in the background who have supported them with improved training and equipment.

Much still needs to be done - moves are underway to seek greater help from Australian surf lifesavers, and to put warnings where they would be most effective, on every flight descending to land at Phuket.

That first warning, combined with a second warning as guests check in at every Phuket resort during the April-November monsoon season, and a ''third strike'' in signage at the beaches, is as much as can possibly be expected.

The triple-warnings would make the job of the lifeguards easier, and they need every bit of help they can get. The official budget keeps their numbers limited and some of Phuket's beaches are long.

Jayne MacDougall, Director of Risk Management and Loss Prevention at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort and a prime supporter of the lifeguards, believes major improvements have been made.

''I was in the water at Nai Harn the other day when two girls got into trouble in a rip,'' she said. ''I reached them first, but the lifeguards swam to help them very quickly.''

While the quality of the lifeguards has lifted, it has become plain that better equipment is still needed, along with improved reaction times from Phuket's ambulances and medical teams.

Too many people are still pulled from the water alive, only to die soon after in hospital because resuscitation has not been carried out fast enough.

Along with dramatic improvements in the road toll on Phuket, the safety standards now in place on the beaches are an encouraging sign for the future of tourism.

But Karon beach, and at times, other Phuket beaches, becomes far more dangerous during the monsoon season, prompting Khun Nut to say that Karon may have to be closed to all swimmers on particularly dangerous days.

''It's what they do in Australia on similar holiday beaches,'' Khun Nut said. He also recognises that resorts and local authorities must all be active in warning guests, and in some cases protecting them from their own desire to go swimming in unsafe conditions.

Figures show that there have been 24 drownings on and around Phuket to the end of September, compared to 47 to the same time last year. The figures include all drownings, so because they also include those that have occurred at sea or on canals and pools, there is no accurate count yet for Phuket beaches.

The lifeguards are keeping their own complete records, so a beach-by-beach record will grow over time.

Some adjustment still needs to be made to the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organsation's tendering system, to make sure that the skills that are now being developed can be preserved. More training of lifeguards is planned for November.

Here is Khun Nut's assessment of some of the best-known Phuket beaches:

Karon
This is a beautiful, long beach. It was declared one of the top family beaches in the world by Lonely Planet, which is certainly true in high season. But in low season, it can be extremely dangerous. If it was in Australia, there are days when it would be closed to all swimmers. But this is something that is difficult to do because of tourism. People visit Phuket for beach holidays, all year long. What we need is more help from the resorts to make sure Karon is safe all year.

Patong
Phuket best known and most popular beach. Jet-skis and parasailing make this beach dangerous for reasons that have nothing to do with the rip currents that are sometimes found here. For the safety of swimmers, the jet-skis and the speedboats need to be in different areas, clearly marked and separated by buoys. Safety here needs to improve a lot.

Nai Harn
There are dangerous spots at Nai Harn, which is especially popular with locals. But with two pods of lifeguards now operating there, we are happy with improvements.

Kata
Kata is probably the best beach for board surfing during the low season, but the boards need to be kept separate from the body surfers and swimmers. Boards are best at the southern end, swimmers at the northern end.

Surin
This beaches has lounges, tables and chairs and umbrellas in growing numbers, making it hard to see warning flags. Lifeguards also have trouble guarding the beach when there are so many obstructions in the way.

Nai Thon
A beach that can be wild but that is attracting growing numbers of visitors. One of our lifeguards, Khun Jid, has returned from Australia and is now helping with training here, and at other beaches.