Three French Tourists Rescued After Jet Ski Goes Missing Off Samui
Three French tourists missing on a jet ski off Koh Samui were rescued after an overnight search found them floating safely about 7 nautical miles from shore, exhausted but unharmed.
Three French tourists renting a jet ski went missing in the sea off Koh Samui on August 13, 2569, prompting an overnight search that found all three men floating safely about 7 nautical miles from Koh Mad Lang. The incident began at 5:30 p.m. when a family of five French tourists rented a jet ski from Jet and Jump near Long Beach Hotel at Chaweng Beach for 30 minutes. Three men—Brahim Terki (50), Maheiddine Terki (12), and Ilyes Terki (9)—rode one jet ski while the wife and daughter waited on the beach.
When the jet ski did not return after 30 minutes, the operator used binoculars to search but found nothing. The operator sent out two jet skis to look but still could not locate them. At 8:25 p.m., the emergency hotline 1784 received a report of three missing foreign tourists. Koh Samui District officials and the 15th Volunteer Territorial Defense Unit coordinated a search involving multiple agencies and the jet ski operator's additional boats.
The overnight search proved difficult due to strong waves in the open sea. Officers suspended the search temporarily at 1:00 a.m. on August 14 and resumed at dawn. At 9:00 a.m., District Officer Amorn Chumchuay and rescue teams launched speedboats to continue searching. At 11:00 a.m., officers found all three tourists floating in the water approximately 7 nautical miles east of Koh Mad Lang. They were brought aboard safely, exhausted but unharmed, bringing relief to the waiting family and search teams after an anxious night.
