Bizarre moment British tourist clinging to a buoy three kilometers off the Thai coast abandons a boat after ‘going for a morning swim’
- Video shows a seemingly drunk Brit clinging to a yellow buoy off the Thai coast
- Brit was seen raising his thumb at a passing boat before being rescued from the buoy
This is the bizarre moment when a British tourist clinging to a buoy two miles off the Thai coast abandoned a boat after thinking it would be a ‘good idea’ to go for a morning swim.
Video shows the apparently intoxicated holidaymaker standing on the yellow float in his swimsuit near the party town of Pattaya at around 07:00 on March 29.
The Briton is seen smiling and didn’t appear to be in distress as he gave a thumbs up and waved to the passing boat in an attempt to get a ride.
The tourist, who did not give his name, wobbled a little as he dropped off the buoy to swim to the boat.
Video shows him scrambling onto the boat and teetering on the deck as he tries to catch his breath.
This is the bizarre moment when a British tourist clinging to a buoy two miles off the Thai coast abandoned a boat after thinking it would be a ‘good idea’ to go for a morning swim
Video shows him scrambling onto the boat and teetering on the deck as he tries to catch his breath
The Briton, who seemed unsteady on his feet, told the captain of the boat: “I’m waking up, I’m going ‘oh good idea to go for a swim’.
“I swim, swim, swim and then,” said the Brit before stopping to catch his breath.
The vacationer then asked the captain of the boat, “Do you fish?” You do tourists?’
Boat captain Charawat Rasrikrit said the young man was unharmed and took him back to his beachfront hotel.
Rasrikrit said, ‘I went to the temple early in the morning because it was a Buddhist holy day.
‘I drove my boat and didn’t expect any tourists. He waved at me and said he couldn’t swim back.
“Perhaps the Buddha brought me to that part of the sea to help him. It was a holiday, not many boats would pass him if I didn’t come.
The boat captain adds: ‘I see a lot of tourists getting into trouble here. I thought maybe he had been out partying the night before and was still in a good mood in the morning.
“He was probably still a little drunk. Many tourists behave strangely when they come here.’
Boat captain Charawat Rasrikrit (pictured) said the young man was unharmed and took him back to his hotel on the beach
Pattaya on Thailand’s east coast is best known for its chaotic nightlife and 24-hour adult industry.
Military top men from Bangkok have been trying for several years to clean up Pattaya, also called the “sex capital” of the world.
They are fighting to kick out misbehaving Brits and Aussies and turn the region into a family-friendly resort to tap into lucrative family markets in China, India and Russia.
However, they face an uphill battle against the entrenched 24-hour sex industry and the endemic corruption that allows it to continue unabated.
The bars – many of which are run by British expats and act as shop windows for prostitutes – are also a lucrative part of the tourist industry, along with massage parlors and street workers.
Before the pandemic, the industry accounted for 21 percent of Thailand’s annual GDP, generating 1.8 trillion baht ($52.3 billion) in revenue.