British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast

Video footage and photographs have emerged of a British tourist who came close to losing his life while swimming off the coast of Pattaya last month. The tourist, who remains unidentified, got into trouble while swimming and was able to make his way to a buoy, where he was eventually rescued by a passing fisherman in his boat.

The young British tourist, believed to be between 25 and 30 years old, was spotted clinging to the buoy two miles off the coast of Thailand. Video footage shows the holidaymaker, who appeared to be intoxicated, standing on the yellow float in his swimming shorts at around 7am on Wednesday, March 29. Despite his precarious situation, he was seen smiling and waving at a passing boat, hoping to catch a ride.

In the footage, the tourist can be seen wobbling slightly as he launches himself off the buoy to swim to the boat. He then climbs aboard and staggers on the deck while catching his breath. The British tourist, who appeared unsteady on his feet, tells the captain of the boat that he woke up and thought it would be a good idea to go for a swim.

The Brit told the boat’s captain…

“I wake up, I go ‘oh good idea for a swim.’

“I swim, swim, swim and then,’ the Brit said before stopping to catch his breath.

The young man then asked the captain of the boat…

“You fish? You do tourists?”

Boat captain Charawat Rasrikrit said the man was not injured and he returned him back to his hotel on the beach.

Charawat said…

“I went to the temple early in the morning because it was a Buddhist holy day.

“I drove my boat and did not expect to see a tourist. He was waving at me and said he could not swim back.

“Maybe the Buddha took me to that area of the sea to help him. It was a holiday, not many boats would pass by him if I didn’t come.

“’I see a lot of tourists get into trouble here. I thought that 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 bit drunk. A lot of tourists behave strangely when they come here.”

Check the Daily Mail’s video footage here.