Three French tourists, a father and his two sons, rented a jet ski at Chaweng Beach, Surat Thani Province, and went out to sea before disappearing overnight. Authorities launched a search and found them clinging to the jet ski in the middle of the sea. They were rushed ashore, where their family embraced them with relief and joy.
On 14 August 2026, Mr. Amorn Chumchuay, the Koh Samui district chief, together with Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials and the Koh Samui Jet Ski Club search team, conducted a search for three foreign tourists: a 50-year-old French man and his two sons aged 12 and 9. They had rented a jet ski from an operator at Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui District, Surat Thani Province, and went out to sea around 5 p.m. on 13 August. After the half-hour rental period ended, the rental staff signaled for them to return, but the three did not come back. The operator launched a jet ski search but found nothing. They then coordinated with authorities and the Jet Ski Club to deploy speedboats and jet skis for a nighttime search, but no trace was found by midnight, when the search was called off.
In the morning, authorities intensified the search again, led by Mr. Amorn Chumchuay. They found the three tourists floating in the sea with their jet ski half submerged, about 20 minutes from Koh Mad Lang. The youngest son, aged 9, was sitting on the bow, the father was holding onto the side, and the 12-year-old son was floating nearby. All were wearing life jackets and appeared physically exhausted. The search team brought them aboard a speedboat back to shore to receive medical attention at a hospital. Their mother and older sister, waiting anxiously on the beach, were overjoyed to see them safe.
Mr. Amorn Chumchuay, Koh Samui district chief, stated that upon learning of the missing jet ski tourists the previous day, he ordered a full-scale search until after midnight without success. The search resumed the following morning and located the three floating in the sea, exhausted but safe. He ordered Koh Samui harbor authorities to require operators to enhance safety measures, strictly check jet ski licenses, and advised operators not to rent jet skis close to dusk. Tourists should be informed to stay within visible areas so operators can provide prompt assistance if needed.
Additionally, he urged Koh Samui harbor authorities to coordinate with jet ski operators to install tracking devices on the jet skis to enable location monitoring if problems arise. The exact cause of the incident remains undetermined, but preliminary assumptions suggest the jet ski may have experienced engine failure and was swept far from shore by waves. Authorities plan to interview the tourists in detail to clarify the precise cause.