A French father and his two young sons spent more than sixteen hours stranded in the waters off Koh Samui, Thailand. This resulted from rough waves, causing their rented jet ski to capsize and the engine to fail.
The family had rented the jet ski for a 45-minute ride on Thursday from one of Thailand’s most popular islands. When the vehicle was not returned at the agreed time, rescuers were alerted, and a search operation involving speedboats and additional jet skis was launched. The search swept across waters surrounding Koh Samui and toward the nearby island of Koh Phangan.
The Rescue
Search efforts had to be suspended overnight, leaving the father and his sons drifting at sea through the night. They were eventually found still afloat at around 10:00 local time on Friday. This was more than sixteen hours after they first got into difficulty.
Local government official Amorn Chomchoey told AFP that the family were found “pale” and “exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater.” Rescue footage showed one of the boys sitting on the front of the submerged jet ski as it bobbed in choppy waves, with the father floating nearby and waving at rescuers as they approached. Both were wearing life jackets throughout. The father told authorities that rough waves had struck the jet ski near the end of the rental period. Thus bringing the engine to a stop and leaving them unable to return to shore.
All three were taken to hospital for checks and discharged shortly afterwards. The boys’ mother and older sister had been waiting on the beach during the search. The family has since resumed their holiday in Thailand, officials confirmed to AFP.
Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s most visited tourist destinations, drawing significant numbers of water sports participants year-round. Incidents involving rented watercraft are not uncommon in Thai waters, particularly when sea conditions deteriorate unexpectedly.
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