Phuket Safety Tips

Phuket Safety Tips

Thailand and Phuket in particular, is a safe and family friendly travel and vacation destination and indeed a very popular one. But let's face it, where large numbers of people congregate, there is always the possibility of unforeseen incidents or accidents happening, causing injuries, disrupting or even prematurely ending what could have been an exiting vacation.

As with any travel destination, no matter where in the world we go, inherent risks are always present. It therefore should form part of good planning to be aware of possible dangers, be responsible and avoid them. It needs to be said that most of the time, injuries are brought about by the tourist them selves. The location, Phuket, or any other place in Thailand, very seldom has anything to do with it. A few simple rules to abide by will certainly almost always see you having a fabulous vacation on this great island, aptly referred to as the Pearl of The Andaman Sea.

Resort Phuket

Swimming

Irrespective the time of year, Phuket' weather is always warm and the bright white beaches and blue ocean very inviting. However, though there are many safe beaches, small coves and calm bays to swim in, some beaches become treacherous to swim in during, and shortly after the Monsoon Season ends. The Monsoon weather causes dangerous under currents and rip tides that have seen many unfortunate victims loose their lives. In many of these cases, drowning could have been avoided if the safety warnings were heeded. Karon Beach, one of Phuket's most idyllic and primary tourist beaches, is one such beach where extra care needs to be taken from end April to mid December. Though it is wise to always be careful, the rest of the year sees conditions much more conducive the swimming. Note where and when red flags on the beach indicate unsafe swimming conditions and don't swim there. In any event, no matter where you are in the world, if you are not someone who knows how to and have experience in navigating the waves, tie a plastic blow-up beach ball to your swimming trunks. It could end up saving your life. Make sure you get information on the beach conditions from your Phuket resort before just swimming out into the ocean.

Scooters

When most of us arrive on an idyllic island destination and book into hotels in Phuket, road safety or road hazard is probably the furthest from our minds. It is an island after all. From experience I can tell you that many tourists, especially the slightly younger among us seemingly find this mode of transport irresistible. It's just great to jump on a scooter, wind in the hair and whisk away around the island. And it is not just on Phuket, scooters are big on all the islands and all over Thailand and popular among tourists. You can rent these from as little as 150 Thai Baht per day and a tank of fuel at 80 Baht will last forever.

The fact is, lives are lost every year on scooters and motor bikes on Phuket as well as other Thailand destinations. The reason?

The tourist sees the Thai not wearing a helmet, so it is cool to also not wear one. Many, if not most tourists to Thailand, have no license, no driving experience and no knowledge of the road conditions both on and off the islands. Winding roads, steep inclines and declines, sharp bends in the road and loose soil on the road, other road users like trucks transporting goods, are some road conditions, especially on the islands, that can be fatal.

To make things worse is that in Thailand and again especially on the islands, road rules and regulations are not very strictly enforced with the result that Thais has to a large extend developed their own way of driving. The fact is, most Thais grow up on a scooter and drive one daily. It's their primary mode of transport. Most tourists come here with no clue how to properly drive one and also do not understand the un-written rules of the road in Thailand.

To further add to the danger, many a tourist have severely injured them selves and innocent others because of driving under the influence. While you may be requested to produce a valid international drivers license on an island like Phuket, you are less likely to need a license in places like Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. The latter being very famous among our party generation, hence the drunk driving problem. In fact, neither on Koh Phangan nor Samui and in some instances in Phuket you will not even be asked for a license when renting a scooter.

Here are a few tips if you have to rent and drive a scooter in Thailand and especially on the islands:

Wear a helmet! It is not compulsory in Thailand for the passenger to wear a helmet, only for the driver, but make sure both you and your passenger wear a proper helmet.

Avoid driving a scooter after dark at all cost.

Drive slowly. That little two wheeler can throw you very hard.

Don't forget the side stand. It is believed an expat fell and killed himself on a Phuket road recently because the side stand was still out.

Don't drink and drive.

If you cannot drive properly, do not go on the road with a scooter.

When you do rent a scooter, insist on proof that the scooter is insured. In fact, get a copy of the insurance contract's first page or other written form of confirmation of insurance.

Take pictures of the condition of the scooter before you drive it.

Jet Ski's

What could be more fun than jetting across the water on one of these ponies and feel the spray in your face. When done responsibly, jet skiing is a great water sport, but there are a few things that need to be kept in mind. These are powerful toys, they have no breaks, they are fast and few people really have experience in riding them. The number of injuries to tourists and jet ski scams have lead to the authorities pushing to have jet ski's banned from the island all together. However, they are not gone yet. If you are an experienced rider, go out and have some fun, of not, think twice. From experience I can tell you that when two jet skis are heading for each other, the wide ocean suddenly becomes very small. Ask yourself this simple question, if you are on a collision course with another ski, which way are you supposed to turn? Does the other guy know which way to turn? The answer is, you both turn to your right, but I bet 9 out of 10 people do not know this and Murphy's Law says in most cases one will turn to his right and the other to his left and bang. Also, the type of skis rented out on Phuket are big ones, the type you sit on and they are quite heavy. Don't try to jump waves! You will get hurt!

In many countries, jet ski riders needs to successfully complete a skippers course and hold a valid skippers license before they may enter the water with a jet ski. Of course, you need to be of a legal age to obtain the license. This just shows the seriousness and danger associated with jet skis. In Thailand and Phuket, anyone, without any license or experience and of any age may get on a jet ski, sharing the same piece of ocean with you.

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