The order follows speedboat tour operators yesterday (July 6) openly ignoring a safety order to stay ashore to avoid risking tourists’ safety on tours on the wild seas during the current storm conditions.
The Thai Meteorological Department this week issued a weather warning for Phuket that calls for all small craft to stay a shore and for large vessels to proceed with caution from July 6 through July 13, due to strong winds and waves of up to four metres creating hazardous conditions on the open water.
In response, Phuket Marine Office chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut yesterday ordered all boats less than nine meters in length to stay ashore.
That order, however, was blankly ignored by speedboat tour operators at Chalong, where the Phuket Marine Office is stationed.
“Tour boat operators are continuing to provide their services because we have a lot of Chinese tour groups that need to use speedboats to take them to nearby islands,” said Witsanu Meekam, general manager of Nikorn Marine.
“But for safety concerns, fewer boats are putting to sea and we are providing tours only to areas that are not far, such as Koh Khai and Koh Hei. We are following the weather warning closely and we have advised all crew and tourists of the risks and unforeseen danger during this period.”
Meanwhile, all beaches along the Phuket coast are flying red “no swimming” flags in danger areas. Some beaches, such as Kata, are flying the red-yellow flags, which are denoted as zones where it is safe to swim with caution between the flags.
At Kata Beach, lifeguards are on high alert, patrolling the sands daily from 8am to 6:30pm to prevent tourists from unknowingly endangering their own lives by ignoring the flags or safety warnings by entering the surf to swim.
On Saturday, 30-year-old Iranian tourist Hasan Fhakhr was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital after being dragged unconscious from the dangerous surf at Patong Beach. (See story here.)