Thai-Scottish man swims 30 kilometres to and from an island in southern Thailand

A half-Thai half-Scottish man made headlines in Thai media this weekend after swimming 30 kilometres from Ao Nang beach in Krabi province, southern Thailand, to Poda Island and back again.

The 26 year old “merman,” Siranat, swam from Thailand’s West coast to Poda Island and back on Saturday. He said it took over six hours in total.

Siranat posted pictures and videos of the swim under his Facebook page “Psi Scott” yesterday…

“Thank you everyone for the encouragement yesterday. In six hours, I crossed the sea from Ao Nang beach to Poda Island and swam back again, achieving a personal goal I’d set for myself. I’m not exactly sure how long the journey was, but it was at least 15 kilometres, either way, not counting the current.

“If we count the current, which I encountered on both legs of the journey, it is more like 18 kilometres each way. But anyway, the length of the journey is not that important to me, I just wanted to swim to the island and back.”

Siranat, who has a Thai mother and a Scottish father, told Thai media that he took off from Ao Nang beach at 10am and arrived back at Ao Nang at 4.30pm. He said the journey is about 30 kilometres on the map but is further in reality as he swam through strong, fast-flowing currents.

The “merman” said he did not undertake the challenge to gain attention but to achieve his dream. Siranat has always loved swimming for as long as he can remember.

Siranat said he went to study in America and missed swimming in Thailand’s waters. He said he especially loves Thailand’s Andaman coast.

For the past three years, Siranat has worked with locals on conversation projects in Phuket and Krabi, such as collecting rubbish from the beach. Sirinat said that because he is a strong swimmer, he collects the remains of old fishing nets from the water which could harm wildlife.

All of Siranat’s conservation efforts have led his friends to give him the nickname “merman.”

Siranat said that on August 6, his birthday, he swam from Ao Nang to Poda Island but did not swim back. So this time he wanted to swim both ways, with a boat following him for safety.

The merman said there is a lot of plastic waste in the sea. By swimming among the waste like a fish, Siranat said he thinks he can experience what marine life experiences.

By experiencing the difficulties faced by marine life first-hand, Siranat thinks he will be able to better understand how to preserve the seas and how to raise awareness for ocean conservation.

Earlier this month, a Thai actor raised 40 million baht by swimming from Thailand to Laos and back across the Mekong River.