Snorkeling tour scam left teens stranded on ‘snake-infested’ island
A group of British teenagers claim they were left for dead on an island infested with snakes after paying for a snorkeling trip in Thailand....MORE
Emily Ince, 19, from Preston, Lancashire, was on a dream holiday to the Southeast Asian country with 17 friends when they were approached by three men offering a snorkeling tour in the seaside resort of Hua Hin, south of Bangkok.
But the student claims after she and her pals joined the tour — paying £20 ($26) each — they were told to jump out of the speedboat 32 feet from an island.
They claim they were then told to swim to shore before the men threw just two snorkeling masks into the water for the group and advised them to “stay away from the snakes.”
Ince said she and her friends were forced to swim in the jellyfish-infested sea to the island, which was swarming with potentially venomous snakes.
After being left without food, water or sunscreen for three hours, the friends were eventually rescued after enlisting the help of a local fisherman.
Ince said: “Whilst we were at the beach, three Thai men told us they sold snorkeling trips.
“Being gullible, we said ‘yeah, OK’ because it was about 700 baht each — around £18 ($23) to £20 ($26) — so we thought it was a good deal.
“I was in the first group and we were really excited, but as we came close to the island, they stopped the boat about 32 feet away and made us swim from the boat to the island.”
‘Stay away from the snakes’...
