Saudi man swims for five hours to rescue wife after jet ski accident in Thailand

The husband swam for five hours to reach the shore and finally found his wife six hours after the search began

A Saudi tourist swam for over five hours to reach shore and seek help after their jet ski capsized in Pattaya Bay in Thailand, ultimately saving his wife's life, local authorities reported on Thursday.

Abdulrahman Mahdi M Al-Amri and his wife, Atheer Saeed A. Al-Amri, were reported missing at 6:30 pm local time, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by Pattaya City authorities.

The couple had been on a jet ski when the incident occurred, and a call was made to authorities by the jet ski operator.

“We received a call at 6:30 pm from a jet ski operator that one of their jet skis and the clients were missing. So, we set out on a search operation,” said Nattanon Chamnankul, head of Pattaya City Sea Rescue.

Despite the team's best efforts, which included navigating dark seas, strong winds, and drizzle, the rescue operation proved fruitless for over five hours.

As the search boat returned to Jomtien Beach, authorities discovered Abdulrahman swimming towards the shore, exhausted but determined.

“The husband had swum for five hours to reach the shore and was worried about his wife. He used the lights on the beach as a guide,” Chamnankul said. “He was in a state of extreme fatigue when he was rescued.”

The rescue boat then took Abdulrahman on board and continued the search for Atheer. Six hours after the search began, the couple was finally reunited.

“We found his wife at 2 am,” Chamnankul said. “At first, the sea was dark, but we heard a small voice in the sea, and it was her.”

According to Pattaya Tourist Police officer Nipon, the couple's jet ski had capsized in the open water, and its engine was damaged by seawater. After the jet ski ran out of fuel, Abdulrahman made the decision to swim to shore to get help for his wife.

Though Atheer sustained a minor injury to her left leg, both she and her husband were in good health. The couple later returned to Saudi Arabia after settling a 50,000 Thai baht ($1,400) damage fee with the jet ski operator.

Thailand has seen a surge in Saudi tourists since the normalisation of relations between the two countries in 2022.

The Gulf nation is now a key market for Thai tourism, with 178,000 Saudi visitors in 2023 and another 188,000 between January and October this year — the highest number among tourists from the region.

The number of Saudi tourists has nearly doubled compared to 2022, when approximately 96,000 visited Thailand.