A Russian man’s attempt to swim to Koh Larn to test his strength ended in disaster when he became stranded in Pattaya Bay, before being rescued by a Thai speedboat driver. On December 8th, 34-year-old speedboat driver Mr. Pracharat shared his experience with local media, recounting how he saved the exhausted swimmer who had been drifting in the water.
Mr. Pracharat was ferrying a group of 20 foreign tourists to Koh Larn when he spotted the Russian man, who was naked and floating about 6 kilometers from shore, near the buoyed waterway between Koh Larn and the Bali Hai Pier. Realizing the man was in distress, Mr. Pracharat immediately stopped the boat, threw him a life preserver, and pulled him aboard. The swimmer, visibly exhausted and covered in saltwater sores, was given fresh water and wrapped in a towel before being taken to the authorities on Koh Larn for further care.
The speedboat driver noted that the situation could have turned far worse had the current been stronger or if a passing boat had not spotted the man in time. According to the tourist, he had been swimming since the previous evening as part of a personal challenge to test his strength. He had intended to swim from Pattaya Beach to Koh Larn, but was overwhelmed by the current and became stranded in open water.
Mr. Pracharat mentioned that although he had never experienced such a rescue before, he had heard of similar incidents. This likely referred to a previous case where another Russian man was rescued after attempting to swim from Pratumnak to Koh Larn. That individual, however, had been a stronger swimmer and had attempted the swim simply because “he felt like it.”
