Tourists’ fury after booking dream beach holiday only to discover the sea is too dangerous to swim in – with holidaymakers breaking BONES
The ferocious waves can turn deadly - with tourists warning others to take care
BRITISH tourists have hit out at a travel company for 'falsely advertising' a beach holiday after finding they were unable to swim in the sea - because it's too DANGEROUS.
Holidaymakers forking out up to £7,000 to jet off to Cape Verde in Boa Vista were shocked to arrive and find the ferocious waves had injured dozens of tourists - and even left one dead.
Brit holidaymaker Ken said that he had paid more than £7,000 for the sunny getaway but was left disappointed when his family discovered red flags on the beach, warning they could not swim in the water safely.
He said staff at the hotel, which sits in the south of the Boa Vista island off the coast of Western Africa, even laughed and told him to let them know when he saw a green flag at the beach - as they had never seen one.
The disappointed tourist has now accused Thomson and First Choice of selling the beach getaway at the five-star Riu Touareg hotel in Boa Vista under "false pretences".
He told The Sun Online: "It's a brilliant hotel if you are going to sit by the pool all day but if you want to go snorkelling, just forget it.
"You can't even step into the water, the beach is that rough with big waves and wind most of the time."
He said that tourists would often stand in the shallows but when their feet sunk into the soft sand, they were bowled over by ferocious waves and hurt.
He added: "You can't risk swimming in the sea, people were breaking arms - I would say one person was injured every day at least.
"We saw someone whose head got bashed by the waves, other people with arms in slings and others on crutches.
"I want to warn people not to go there - it looked nice online, with idyllic pictures but when we finally got out there, it was too rough."
He said after having complained for months about his family's holiday, he had been finally been given a £785 cheque by way of an apology.
Another holidaymaker Philip Talbot, of Hampshire, also went on a beach holiday to the Cape Verde destination with his wife in January last year and said in just one day, three tourists had been injured - including one fatality.
He said: "The overall trip was positive but it's the sea - it's dangerous.
"People just did not appreciate how dangerous the sea was there."
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The 65-year-old said that with red flags out everyday during his holiday, tourists seemed to be "desensitised" to the warnings, with the lifeguards appearing to be powerless to stop them from going in the water.
He said that he had been disappointed by the trip due to not being able to swim in the sea, having not realised the conditions would be so rough throughout the trip.
But he is not the only one to experience problems while holidaying at the beach getaway, with tourists in their dozens inundating Trip Advisor with concerns about the beach.
In one review, a holiday-maker wrote: "The beach 90% of the time bad with big waves and wind. we waited whole year to come here but it turn up bad due to the bad beach situation."
Another said: "The sea is great fun if you're brave, it's very rough & difficult to get in as the waves keep knocking you back but it's hilarious trying & funny watching others too.
"Not the best sea for small children because of this. We did hear of people having bones broken & one lady was taken off the beach on a stretcher. "
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Another view said: "Sea is ferocious (lady broke her femur just a few days into her holiday) red flag was out everyday for 2 weeks whilst i was there!"
Last year, a number of British tourists sued tour operator TUI over the injuries they suffered at the beach.
Three tourists - Rene Dickinson, Margaret Nuckley and Joanne Hunt, all suffered fractures or broken bones at the beach while on holiday in 2012.
They claimed that the beach's flag system had said it was safe for them to swim but they were left with painful injuries.
At the time, law firm Irwin Mitchell took on the case with Philip Banks saying: "Swimming and water sports in Cape Verde are heavily advertised and tour operators need to ensure that appropriate warning systems are in operation for the protection of their guests.
"Tour operators must ensure that the hotels they are sending holidaymakers to have the correct safety measures in operation to prevent accidents such as these and potentially fatal incidents."
A Thomson and First Choice spokesperson said: "We take all customer feedback seriously and we’re sorry to hear if anyone feels information about their holiday hasn’t been in line with their experience.
"We reference Cape Verde’s beach flag system and warn of the undercurrents on our website.
"When customers are in resort we also reiterate this and the importance of paying attention to local advice.
"We would like to take this opportunity to reassure everyone that the health and safety of our customers is of paramount importance.
"We would also encourage everyone – wherever they are travelling to – to check the travel aware section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the latest information on staying healthy and safe abroad."
A spokesman for the hotel said that tourists were warned not to go into the water when a red flag was flying.
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