ARCHIVE: A naked tourist was found swimming in the sea while hallucinating - and refused to get onto a boat for THREE HOURS.

Timo Perttola, 32, from Finland, had been partying in Pattaya, Thailand, before running past stunned onlookers and leaping off a pier into the chilly water. Police and marine officers in two different boats caught up with him 1km out at sea where he spent three hours treading water convinced that the officials were trying to attack him.

They say in English ‘’we come to help you’’ but Timo dodges lasso ropes and swims away from them - even hurling a rubber ring back to them. Rescuers eventually persuaded him to climb aboard the boat three hours later and he was taken to hospital but checked himself out and disappeared again.

Marine officer Kittichai Satadchacha, 26, said: ‘’The man just ran to the end of the hill and jumped into the water. He swam to the middle of the bay and I hurried to inform staff to help.

‘’I don’t know how anybody can swim in the sea for that long at night time. Whatever he had eaten he had a lot of energy.''

Pattaya City Police said the man was taken to hospital where they asked staff for a neurological assessment.

A spokesman said: ‘’He was hallucinating but we don’t know why. He had a slight injury that he received stitches for but he was very agitated. After receiving medical treatment he was allowed to return home. We have no explanation for his behaviour.''