British man, 29, drowns at all-night full moon party in Thailand made famous by the film The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Alex Wyithe, 29, from West Sussex drowned after getting caught in a rip tide at an all-night beach party in Thailand



He had travelled to the infamous full moon party island of Ko Phangan in Thailand

The island is well known for DJs who play all night to crowds of around 30,000 people at the monthly parties

Tragic: Alex Wyithe a 29-year-old graduate of Brighton University, lived in Crawley, West Sussex and died on Sunday March 16 after attending the bash in Thailand and going swimming

A British man has died after getting caught in a rip-tide at an all night beach party on the island of Ko Phangan in Thailand.

Alex Wyithe, 29, was on a holiday of a lifetime on the sun-kissed island of Ko Phangan , where full moon parties are popular among travellers.

It is a well known venue for drink and drugs hedonism and DJs who play all night to crowds of around 30,000 at the monthly parties at Haad Rin Beach.



Alex, 29, a graduate of Brighton University, lived in Crawley, West Sussex, and died on March 16 after attended the bash and going swimming. He had gone to Thailand on a two week holiday to have a hair transplant.

The 29-year-old, who was a property developer, flew out to Thailand on March 3 to have an operation to cover up his receding hairline.

Writing online after the operation on March 7 he said the op had lasted eight hours and cost him more than £2,000.

He said he decided to have the procedure after his friends kept kidding him that he was going bald, joking that after the procedure he would look like Wayne Rooney's better looking poorer brother.

He wrote on March 7: 'Hair transplant! Got 20 stitches in back of my head - 2,400 hairs moved to front. Week til stitches come out n scabs go!

'The hair falls out n root grows over next 4-8 months.' RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next 'The foreigner got in the way': Man charged with shooting... The extraordinary moment two terrified anglers suddenly... Share this article Share In one of his last postings on Facebook, written on February 27 just before he jetted off to Thailand, Alex wrote about how excited he was.

He said: 'In 4 days I will be flying club, shaving my head, wearing a bandana, feeding crocodiles chicken at Asia's largest crocodile farm, going to a full moon party.

'Getting a massage every other day, and hopefully I will see a whale shark and get to snorkel with it.

'Its the best time of year to see them and I suppose I may have to try a Samsung bucket or two.'

Samsung buckets are huge cocktails made from Sang Som rum, which is distilled from sugarcane, mixed with Red Bull and cola. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Tributes: Close friend Jason Sanderson paid tribute to Alex (pictured) saying: 'Alex was a good man. ' His parents, Andrew and Sharon Wyithe, who live in Horsham, West Sussex, and sister Samantha, 24, and brother Anthony, 28, are devastated at his death.

His cousin, Scott Parker has set up a tribute page on Facebook which has been flooded with messages from pals and has been joined by more than 300 people already.



Mr Parker wrote: ‘This morning I woke up to the awful news that my cousin Alex Wyithe had died while on holiday in Thailand, he was out at the full moon party in Ko Pha Ngn.

‘I don't know all the details but he was swimming and got caught in a rip tide, he was pulled form the water but was unable to be revived.

‘We are all feeling devastated and shocked of this tragic loss, It is obvious from the amount of tributes there are a lot of people out there who are too.’

His close friend Jason Sanderson wrote: ‘I was so sad to hear about my friend Alex Wyithe passing away tragically in an accident whilst on holiday in Thailand.

‘Alex was a good man. I know he was excited about being in Thailand.

‘What can I say about Alex. He was a generous man with a gentle heart. He often made me laugh and he made me see reason when I couldn't see it.

‘Rest in Peace Alex. You are in my heart, thoughts and prayers. All my love to you and your family.’



The Beach: Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio's film The Beach featured a scene with the Full Moon Parties that take place on the island The Beach: The Full Moon Party has also been featured in films such as Last Stop for Paul and Thai film Hormones

Party time: Revellers come from all over the world to experience the fun at the full moon beach parties on Haad Rin beach Koh Phangan island in Thailand

Wild night: A group gets ready to sample the delights on offer at the full moon beach party on Haad Rin beach at Koh Phangan island

Friend David White wrote: ‘I can't believe he is gone. We have lost one of the kindest, most caring and most genuine souls in Alex and I will miss him every day.

‘I can't help but think if I had gone with him when he asked it might have been different. There are not enough tears. We will always love you. Rest in peace, old friend x.’

The Zoom Bar: This hangout is extremely popular on Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan island, Thailand

Friend Matt Benham, who only met Alex last week, said: ‘I only met Alex in Bangkok last week. I wish I had known him far earlier in my life as we clicked straight away and is without doubt the perfect person for me to get on with!

‘He was uber happy to be here and getting done what he needed to get done then enjoy the rest of his trip. I really wanted to hook up here with him again, before we became mates back in the UK.

‘I, like everyone am truly devastated hearing he has gone.

‘It's a testament to his personality that after meeting someone twice he has had this effect on me as I can't think of anyone else that I have met that would have done so.

‘He did me such a small favour to him but it had a massive effect on me, and wanted to repay him. So kind!’

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed that the Government is aware of a death on March 16 and is supporting the family.

Video Full moon party in Koh Phangan



