The couple managed to land on a beach on Koh Thanan, located some1.7 kilometres from Ao Yon Beach in Wichit, where they began their journey.
Lt Col Eakkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police reported that his officers were informed at about 1:20pm yesterday that the couple had gone kayaking and were unable to make it back to Phuket.
One of the tourists had called the hotel where they were staying to report their predicament. The hotel notified the Tourist Police via the Tourist Police hotline 1155. Tourist Police then contacted the tourists directly, Lt Col Eakkachai explained.
Tourist Police along with “assistants” quickly boarded a boat to recover the tourists from the island. As the boat neared the beach they could see the German couple ‒ Benedikt Niklas Martin Hoppe, 22, and Franziska Marie Drews-von Ruckteschell, 22 ‒ waving at them.
Mr Hoppe told police that while they were kayaking a small storm passed through, bringing heavy rain, large waves and strong gusts of wind that pushed them to the island. They were unable to make their way back to Phuket.
Lt Col Eakkachai confirmed that both tourists had not suffered any injuries. They were brought back to Phuket safely and escorted back to the hotel where they are staying in Wichit.
The tourists arrived in Phuket under the Phuket Sandbox scheme on July 24. This is their first trip to Thailand, he added.
The dangers of being blown offshore while kayaking off Phuket has previously made international headlines following the disappearance of Polish tourist Mateusz Juszkiewicz, 26, and Werakan Siriprakon, 23, from Nakhon Sawan, in December 2019.
The couple were last seen kayaking off Yanui Beach, on Phuket’s southwest coast.
Despite days of searching by air and sea rescue teams, the couple were never found.
See also:
Search for missing kayak couple broadens