Malcolm Ayles: Australian Karate instructor is fighting for life in Thailand after smoking cannabis and swimming at a notorious beach
An Australian karate instructor is fighting for his life in a coma after smoking cannabis and getting into trouble on a notorious beach in Thailand.
Malcolm Ayles, 58, from Grovedale in Victoria, had smoked ‘two cannabis cigarettes’ while on holiday in Pattaya on Monday morning, according to his wife.
Panadda Ayles said her husband jogged along the sand before taking a dip at Jomtien Beach, the scene of several accidental drownings in recent years.
Mr Ayles shouted for help and disappeared into the surf, but heroic local Kittichai Limcharoen dove in and pulled him unconscious from the water.
Panadda Ayles (pictured right) said her husband (pictured left) jogged along the sand before taking a dip at Jomtien Beach, the scene of several accidental drownings in recent years
In the photo, emergency services are performing resuscitation
The karate instructor was given CPR on the beach before being rushed to hospital, where he remains in a coma, according to Viral Press.
Mrs Ayles said her husband bought cannabis, which is fully legalized in Thailand, from a shop near the beach.
“He told me he was going for a run along the beach,” she said.
‘I looked at him and suddenly he ran into the sea and started drowning in front of my eyes. I was shocked and called for help.
‘I still can’t believe what happened. My husband is so fit and strong. We had no disagreement. He was very relaxed.’
Malcolm Ayles, 58, from Grovedale in Victoria, is a karate instructor
Mrs Ayles said her husband (pictured) had smoked two cannabis cigarettes before the incident which he had bought from a shop near the beach
His rescuer said he saw Mr Ayles struggling in the water and took action.
‘I saw what happened and realized there was no one else to help the man. I jumped into the water as quickly as I could to save him,” Mr Limcharoen said.
“I pulled him back to the sand and the rescue team arrived shortly after.”
Paramedics said Mr Ayles was being closely monitored by doctors.
A spokesperson for the Sawang Boriboon Dhammasathan rescue team described the incident as a ‘red case’, meaning the patient’s condition was the most serious, near fatal.