A French father and his two young sons have been rescued after spending more than 16 hours adrift off Thailand’s Koh Samui, when their rented jet ski capsized.
The 50-year-old father had hired the jet ski from a local operator for a 45-minute ride at about 5pm local time on 13 August 2026, with his two sons, five and seven, with him.
The operator alerted rescuers and provincial authorities when the family failed to return at the agreed time. Rescue teams used speedboats and other jet skis to search the waters around Koh Samui and towards the nearby island Koh Phangan, with the search suspended overnight before resuming the following morning.
The family was finally found at about 10am on Friday, according to AFP, with the jetski almost completely submerged. One of the boys was found sitting on the raised front section of the jetski, while his father floated nearby. All three were wearing life jackets.
Dramatic rescue footage shared online shows the father calling for help as rescuers approached. One rescuer can be heard saying, “calm down” and “they survived”, before helping one of the boys onto a rescue boat. The family was given water after being brought aboard.
Amorn Chomchoey, a local government official, told local media the father and children were “pale” and “exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater” during the night at sea. All three were taken to hospital for checks and discharged shortly afterwards.
The father told officials that he was an experienced jetski driver and said large waves had hit the craft, causing its engine to stop. Investigators are examining why it capsized after only about 15 minutes of operation.
The jet ski operator, however, told local media that the family appeared to have travelled beyond the area permitted under the rental agreement.
The boys’ mother and older sister had been waiting on the shore during the search. The family have reportedly remained in Thailand to continue their holiday after the incident.
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