Koh Tao, AKA Death Island strikes again with yet another tourist death
14/01/2019
Koh Tao, that has become notorious for tourist deaths, has struck again, this time with the death of a 39 nine year old first time diver. Rocio Leticia Gomez, like many before her, arrived on Koh Tao looking for her dream vacation. She chose to learn to dive and explore Koh Tao above and below its shores. She chose the Pura Vida Dive for her sub aquatic adventure that resulted in her death.

It is unclear exactly how this woman met her demise, however Phiyapong Boonkaew, head of the Koh Tao police reported today that the local police are “investigating the circumstances” of the accident that resulted in the death of the Argentine tourist.

Pura Vida say that the woman was lost on a dive with an instructor, a second inexperienced diver and one other diver with some experience. The woman was found by another diver and taken to hospital by boat on the 17th of December where she died four days later.

In a post on social media the dive school said “All standards of safety and professionalism were met, and the witnesses exculpate the instructor from the event, but that does not avoid the total and absolute moral responsibility of the instructor and Pura Vida Koh Tao in the accident. We continue to collaborate in everything to clarify every minute detail”

However, this is not the first time Pura Vida have been involved in the death of a tourist. On 22 December 2014, a Pura Vida dive boat did travel over the top of a group of five divers at Tao Tong (Gold Turtle), Koh Tao. Four of the five divers managed to evade the boat but Silje Mathisen (22) was seen by at least two of the divers being sucked into the propeller which struck her head, scuba tank and leg. She died of her injuries shortly after.
The divers estimate that the incident occurred 75 – 100 metres from the spot where their boat, the “Manta Ray” of Scuba Junction Diving (the company she was diving with) was moored. Silje (pronounced “Silye”) and her lifelong friend, Sigrid Simensen were two Norwegian girls only seven minutes into their very first scuba lesson, a PADI Discover Scuba Diving (“DSD”) lesson.
http://www.samuitimes.com/h-tao-aka-dea ... ist-death/

Miss Congeniality is to be the fresh new face to promote Koh Tao!

Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand has been the subject of considerable negative publicity in recent years as thoughtless tourists continue to get themselves murdered. At least three died due to the negligence of boat drivers and/or diving instructors. However, they might have been ok had they just remained in their hotel rooms.

In an effort to improve the reputation of the island, some caring Aussies have created a new tourism video but with a difference. The Royal Thai Police, the Thai government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand seem to have a problem with earning the trust of foreigners. Perhaps this is due to them being so wonderfully economical with the truth.

Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Thais have a public relations problem with Koh Tao. That’s where the Aussies can help. Below is a link to a new video that breathes new life into Koh Tao tourism videos with a decent dose of honesty. In fact, it’s called the HONEST KOH TAO TOURISM VIDEO and it’s presented by Sydney actress, Natasha Dai (pronounced Die! - appropriate huh?). Previously, Natasha was crowned Miss Congeniality in the Australia Chinese Pageant 2017. What do you think of her in this new role?

I was there in October 2016 and had very good time diving .... I did see a lot of boats and since it is quite a distance out from koh Samui it is quite isolated.
I think people get in trouble snorkeling, diving and hanging out and it is curtains ...
corrupt...cover ups to protect the tourist industry..
if anybody ever got on one of the fast boats and did the snorkel tour ..they know how much traffic and the herds of people who are sped out and back...
I sure would not go back and that was before all of these deaths were publicized..
I spent a lot of time on koh samui, krabi, trang, phi phi..
alas, I wish I had done it 20-25 years ago...
a lot of crazy women go out doing dives over their heads and free dives...no way you can survive if something goes amiss..
then, the cover up takes over..

It is sick that murders are just covered up, instead of the crimes being investigated, and the criminals brought to justice.

One thing the authorities cant escape is the Australian government. I dont know if this video was sponsored by the Australian government, but many others are. Too many Australians are victims, and the government is trying to warn people.

People who watch documentaries and news about South East Asia in Australia, may know more about what goes on than people living in South East Asia.

To address the issue that was raised in the previous post, the Australian Government did not sponsor the HONEST KOH TAO TOURISM VIDEO.

It was a purely private undertaking.

Natasha Dai is an actress in Sydney and I am a lawyer in Perth with an interest in human rights.

Thanks for your post and positive comments!

(Another picture of Sydney actress, Natasha Dai above)

Thank you PhuketRichard for your interest and positive comments.

To be fair to explorer, many of his observations were spot on. There is certainly a lack of accurate news reporting within Thailand, which is largely due to the draconian criminal defamation laws within the kingdom. The Thai Criminal Code and the notorious Computer Crimes Act are used - or misused - to crush free speech and protect villains.

Here is a link to an article about the video published in the Samui Times:

http://www.samuitimes.com/miss-congenia ... g-honesty/

Above: Screenshot from HONEST KOH TAO TOURISM VIDEO (with modest satire)

Response to PhuketRichard
I am personally very comfortable with the opening line of the video where Natasha Dai announces, very tongue in cheek, that she is from the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

I am comfortable because it is clearly satire and even the description in YouTube states that it is satirical. Indeed, following the credit at the end of the video, it was stated that no representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand were hurt or employed in the making of the video.

The slogan in the background of the screenshot displayed is also satirical. The Tourism Authority of Thailand uses several slogans including “Amazing Thailand.” A slogan such as “Amazingly Corrupt Thailand” is a fairly conspicuous red flag that one is viewing satire.

Nevertheless, PhuketRichard is probably correct in saying that within Thailand the video would be illegal. Unfortunately for the corrupt Thai officials, their powers to enforce draconian criminal defamation laws tend to be restricted to areas within their borders.

There are some people within Thailand who are unhappy about the video. That’s right. “No sense of humour!”

There are criminal defamation laws within Australia and indeed even within Western Australia, which is where I live. Most people are unaware of these Australian laws. However, the video does not offend any criminal defamation laws that are applicable within Australia

Ian Yarwood
Barrister & Solicitor
PERTH