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I survived a shipwreck.
Saying that feels unreal – like it happened in a dream, or a really bad Lifetime movie. Seriously, did this actually happen to me?!
But it did happen, and I survived. This is my story.
The Beginning
I was invited to join Perama Tours’ Hunting Komodo by Camera tour as a guest. Perama is a well-known tour and transportation operator in Indonesia. In exchange for a complimentary trip, I was to write about my experience on AdventurousKate.com.
The five-day Hunting Komodo by Camera trip departs from Lombok. The tour then visits several islands off Lombok and the north coast of Sumbawa before landing on Komodo Island for a dragon-spotting hike.
After docking on the island of Flores for the night, the tour visits Rinca to see more dragons, then sails back via Sumbawa and Lombok.
The first day of the cruise was pleasant, if slightly drizzly. Rainy season in Nusa Tenggara, this region of Indonesia, lasts roughly from November to March. The sky cleared up just in time for a breathtaking sunset over Lombok.
The next day, we spent the morning swimming and snorkeling on Satonda Island off Sumbawa, then returned to the boat for lunch.
By the time we arrived at Sumbawa’s Kilo Beach, our afternoon stop, rain had begun to pour down.
“Do you want to stay here, or do you want to keep going?” our cruise director, Nardin, asked us.
I shrugged. I didn’t care either way, nor did most of my shipmates. Was there a point to staying at a beach when it was pouring?
We left the beach and sailed on.
At the time, I remember thinking that Nardin’s question was strange. Did he really just ask us what time to leave? Weren’t the trips timed so they’d sail the right areas at the right times?
The seas were quite rough that evening. I get seasick from time to time, and I usually just watch the ocean to feel better. But with two-meter swells and rain coming down, the windows and doors were closed, turning the covered deck into a box of torture.
During dinner, one of the girls gave me a motion sickness pill. I took it, curled up, and fell asleep right on the bench.
I opened my eyes briefly as everyone was getting ready for bed at around 10:30, then fell asleep again.
The Shipwreck
At 2:17 AM, I heard a deafening groan and felt the boat slam forward. The curtains flew open and I was drenched in rain. I scrambled from the bench down to the floor, crawling between my shipmates.
And then the lights turned on and the crew ran in.
“Everybody, put your lifejackets on.”
No statement has ever frightened me so much in my life.
I jumped to the benches and tried to grab a life jacket. The mesh divider was holding them in. For several minutes, I pried and pried, my heart beating wildly in my chest, but it was no use. I began undoing each knot and managed to pull a life jacket, little by little, out of a narrow hole in the mesh.
The jackets were knotted together. I discarded the first unusable jacket and grabbed another. It didn’t zip, but its straps weren’t tied together. It would do.
Lifejacket on, I surveyed my belongings. In the drybag next to me, I had my iPhone, camera, and the mini-purse I was using as a wallet. I ran to the luggage storage room, grabbed my little green backpack, and ran back to the deck.
Inside my green backpack were the rest of my valuables: my computer and my big purse, which was filled with credit cards and my passport.
I unlocked my bag from its Pacsafe and held it in my lap, sitting on the bench. By this point, the boat was jerking irregularly, throwing us all over the place.
That’s when I lost it.
“Please God, please God, please God, please God, please God,” I chanted between sobs, tears pouring down my face. “PLEASE, JESUS!” I yelped after being thrown particularly hard. Alicia from Canada, sitting between me and her boyfriend, Matt, put her arm around me and comforted me.
All along, the boat was speeding toward land. Soon, we were told to come outside onto the bow. The lifeboat would be waiting to take us to shore.
The rain stung bitterly. I was ready to jump into the lifeboat, drybag and backpack in hand, when we got an unpleasant surprise:
“The lifeboat is not working right now,” our tour leader, Gerry, told us. “You must jump into the water and swim to land.“
By this point, the starboard (right) side of the boat was rapidly sinking, putting the boat at a sharp angle. Gerry directed us to jump from the port (left) side, several meters high in the air.
At this point, I should probably mention that we had a baby on board.
This little Danish baby was only ten months old. It was a surprise to have a child on board, but everyone fell in love with this adorable, Woody Woodpecker-coiffed cherub right away. The Indonesian crew were especially crazy about her.
So knowing that she was still on board, that she would have to jump, made me hysterical.
With so few life jackets on board and life boats that didn’t work, obviously, there was nothing for the baby. Her father tied a scarf around her and tied the other end to his wrist. He jumped into the rocky ocean, holding her high above his head.
I later found out that her father was 26 – the same age as me.
Could you imagine holding your child and jumping off the end of a sinking boat, not knowing what you would land on?
I can’t even begin to imagine what her parents went through.
At that point, something in me snapped. Emotions left my body – it was time for business.
I hurled myself over the edge of the boat and landed in the water, the two Danish girls following me moments later. The water was warm despite the chilly rain, and in no time flat, I had dog-paddled around the boat to where my feet touched slippery rocks.
This was Komodo Island — yes, one of the two islands in the world filled with komodo dragons, animals that can kill a human with a single bite. Previously on this site, I said that Komodo Island was one of the five places I would never visit because the dragons terrified me.
Now, here I was, waves slamming me face-first into rocks, washing up on shore in a Vang Vieng tubing t-shirt and hippie pants with no guide and no defense against the giant lizards.
As we climbed up the shore, an eerie sense of calm came over us. Even the baby was silent as we watched bursts of lightning illuminate our sinking boat, the crew frantically trying to salvage the engine.
I had to do something.
“Does everybody have their partner?” I yelled.
“Yes,” a few people called out.
That’s when I realized that solo travelers are at a disadvantage when it comes to disasters – nobody is looking for them. I had to make sure the four of us were safe.
“Is Tree here?” I shouted.
“Yes, I’m here. Right behind you.”
“Is Betti here?”
“She’s over there.”
“Is Jens here?”
“Everybody!” a crew member yelled out. “You cannot stay here. You must climb the rocks!”
The tide was low, but it wouldn’t be for long. The crew directed us to follow the coastline in the hopes that we’d get to a safer location.
We spent the next thirty minutes or so climbing and climbing. I was thankful that I had worn my good sandals; many of my shipmates were slicing their feet open with each step.
The Rescue
After what seemed like hours, a speedboat showed up. A live-aboard dive boat, the Moana, had answered our distress call, and we could go there right away.
I was so excited, I let out a whoop.
I charged back into the water and flopped onto the speedboat face-down, doing a Tobias Funke-esque roll in the process. “Graceful as a swan,” I cracked.
Humor. It’s always been my defense mechanism.
Captain Ingo, from Germany, welcomed us aboard the Moana. If Perama was supposed to have the “nicer” boats, this dive boat could have been the Titanic. Comparatively, it was pure luxury. No sleeping on the deck here!
The crew immediately brought us towels and t-shirts and served us steaming mugs of coffee and tea. Meanwhile, a young German passenger kindly offered his cabin to the baby and her parents.
I used this time to quickly make a video documenting the scene:
We had arrived on the Moana at around 4:15 AM, two hours after our boat had hit the reef.
There was nothing to do in the meantime — the rescue boat wouldn’t be there for hours.
Eventually, I went into the back closet with the Danish girls, collapsed on top of a giant bean bag, and fell asleep.
A few hours later, I woke up to sunshine. Everyone was in better spirits. We ate breakfast; we talked; we planned the stories we’d post all over the internet in English, Danish, German and Spanish.
And adorable baby Ellen, now wearing diapers fashioned from towels, continued to charm us all.
At around 9:45 AM, the rescue boat arrived, complete with the Harbor Master. This boat would take us to Labuan Bajo, Flores, which was the original midpoint of the cruise.
Though we tried to get them to sail to the wreckage, just so we could see if our luggage survived, the crew said it wasn’t safe.
To our delight, they said that they were able to save some bags, and that they’d go back for more later.
Let me tell you something – after being shipwrecked, the last thing you want to see on your rescue boat is a HIGH SMOKER sticker in the captain’s cabin.
Three hours later, we landed in Labuan Bajo and got some lunch — and our first WiFi access in days.
Most of my shipmates decided not to tell their families about the shipwreck. I knew mine would find out immediately due to Twitter and Facebook — so I gritted my teeth and sent them an email, assuring them I was fine and begging them not to worry.
The Aftermath
Late that night, our salvaged luggage was brought to Labuan Bajo. Immediately, we went down to the pier to see if any of our belongings had survived. I was still praying for my passport.
And it was there. All three of my bags were there, and my passport was still snugly in my purse, albeit waterlogged! I kissed it. Unbelievably, my credit cards had survived as well.
But my happiness was short-lived –
Our bags had been ransacked.
How did we know?
Zippers were unzipped – hidden, random, inner zippers – and valuables were taken out, the pockets were refilled with Anker beer cans and Ritz cracker tubes, and then they were zipped up again.
There is NO WAY the water did that.
My shipmates believe that they were robbed by the Perama crew.
While I make no comment about this allegation, let me ask — what would YOU think?
Pandemonium erupted as my shipmates and the crew yelled back and forth at each other. Through all this, the attending police officers, who didn’t speak English, joked and smoked with the crew.
By then, I had had enough. I took my putrid, petrol-soaked, empty bags – everything was gone except for my pair of Nike sneakers, my purple long-sleeved shirt, my Boston Celtics keychain, and my waterlogged computer – and went back to the car.
Over the next few days, police reports were filed. Sarongs and toothpaste were purchased. Thrillingly, I was interviewed for a story in the Bali Times.
My parents each emailed me with the message, “It’s time to come home!” When your divorced parents send you identical messages, you KNOW it’s serious.
I told my parents that I had a month and a half of travel left and wasn’t going to let this stop me. I would take it easy — no more boats in Indonesia — and I had friends who would watch over me in Thailand.
Through all this, I was emailing Perama’s manager, Diana Perama Aryati, asking for help getting back to Lombok. Diana responded that I should have empathy for the company, saying they were going through a difficult time.
You can imagine what my response to that was.
Perama eventually refunded the cost of the trip and paid for two lunches, two dinners, and two nights’ lodging in Labuan Bajo. We were not offered transport back to Lombok.
I flew back to Bali on my own dime two days later.
Here’s the truth: Perama Tours has a reputation as the “safer” cruise from Lombok to Flores. But people need to realize that “safer” in this context does not mean “safe,” nor anything even remotely close to “safe.”
Half the life jackets on the Perama boat were unusable. Had we had a full boat, people would have had to go without. Additionally, both life boats malfunctioned as soon as we had an emergency.
Boats sink all the time in Indonesia – including tourist boats. Safety standards are far worse in Indonesia than in other Southeast Asian countries. For Perama to be a “safer” option is virtually meaningless.
Small boats and fast ferries are often the boats that sink. The fast ferry to the Gili Islands sank twice last year.
Had I known the reality of how dangerous Perama boats are, I never would have set foot on board.
Do you want to visit Komodo Island? There are safer ways than going with Perama.
A much safer way is to take a cheap flight from Bali to Labuan Bajo, Flores, and to do a day trip to Komodo Island or Rinca.
This way, you’ll avoid dangerous night sailing and you won’t lose all your belongings in the event of a shipwreck. Yes, it might cost a bit more — it’s worth it. Your life is worth the extra dollars.
Additionally, do not take a boat in Indonesia during the rainy season. The rainy season runs roughly from November to March.
I am incredibly grateful that everybody survived the shipwreck and that nobody was seriously injured. I am particularly grateful to Gerry, the only Perama crew member who helped us get off the boat safely. Gerry is only 18 years old, but his maturity is far beyond his years.
I am making it my mission to inform travelers of how dangerous it is to travel Indonesia by boat.
It is far, far more dangerous than other countries in Southeast Asia.
Do you know anyone traveling to Indonesia? Please forward them this post. There’s not enough information out there, and people need to know the risks.
I was lucky. You may not be.
I received a complimentary five-day Hunting Komodo by Camera tour from Perama Tours. As you can see, it turned out quite differently than we both envisioned. All opinions, quite obviously, are my own.
Hey Kate – just read this post. Wow, wow, wow.
What a crazy experience to go through – I’m so glad you are ok, as are all your shipmates. It’s not a situation you’d wish on anybody.
It’s certainly an account that will make travellers think twice about these kind of boat tours. And, the response from the Parama manager was nothing short of insane.
Do you think it’s possible that the crew robbed you because they were desperate? I’ve heard that captains in Thailand get killed if they wreck a boat—a Thai friend told me this.
To steal from people who have just been shipwrecked seems like an act of desperation to me.
Wow, what an experience. You really told the story beautifully but it sounded awful! I’d be so p!ssed to find, after all that, things stolen by the crew. You seem to be doing all the right things. It doesn’t always occur to people to wonder if the boat they’re on is safe so I appreciate the warnings.
First of all I think I owe you an apology, as the Great Firewall of China meant I didn’t get the full story via my clandestine Twittering and I was too flippant from not fully realizing what happened. Not at ALL my intention I assure you!
That said, after Tibet/Nepal I’m thinking of flying to Singapore and working my way overland to Bali and Komodo- dragons aside, I hear the diving is spectacular. It would probably mean a liveaboard for a few days and in May- hopefully there’s a non life-threatening way of doing it though!
Greetings from Xi’an, China. 🙂
Yvette, no worries whatsoever! I know China can be a bitch.
The divers on the boat that picked us up REALLY loved it here. They said there were areas that were like traffic — they could just hang out and watch all the animals swim by them in a crowd.
What a story! Wow! I’m happy that all went smoothly at the end and all survived.
Crazy that someone searched your bags after such a situation.
As long these kind of stories go well, it’s ok to experience it… but you have to be lucky! You were! Now you have something really unique to talk about (not like the normal adventurous travel stories), even like in 50 years to your gand childs! lol
And the roads ain’t no picnic either – yes travelling by boat is dangerous but no more dangerous than going overland. In the space of one week I saw TWO motorcycle fatailities in Jakarta. Anyway, stay safe and good luck in the future.
Kate,
Just came across your site for the first time. Very well written, and I’m definitely bookmarking.
I’ve thought of something like this happening when I’ve been on the big Pelni ferries before, but luckily never experienced it. I’m headed to Sumatra next week, though, and planning to spend a lot of time on outlying islands. I’ll definitely be asking a lot more questions about safety records after having read this!
As an aside, do you have travel insurance and how have they been about replacing the lost/stolen stuff from your bags?
Stephen
Obviously, it’s good to know that everyone survived physically.
It’s not the travel that is dangerous here – and I’ve travelled all over Indonesia, many times by slow boat. There are inherent risks in any journey.
But I wonder why none of my long-term resident friends (including my friend Tempo Dulu who’s already commented – and I echo his sentiments – are surprised that your possessions were ransacked.
I’ve said as much in my latest post.
What can I say – this is an incredible story. It is almost unbelievable that the Perama crew actually had the nerve to rob you after a tragedy that could have killed you!! That is just crap. I hope you get over the trauma of this and can move forward as normal with your life.
i know you have been in Sihanoukville some time ago, we’ve talk in jj’s, nad i’m still here.
Today JJo organized (i guess its 1st) booze cruise (ususally organized by dolphins) and the boad sink with some 70+ people on board. I was on the beach watching some 6 fishing boats coming towards pier with all the people booze cruise. Sill dont know how this happen and if everybody is ok, will find out later on…
Thanks, Alex — I’m so relieved that all 92 people are alive and accounted for.
And I wonder what’s going to happen to JJ’s. This can’t be good.
just say thanks to God, that u in safe. anyway, danger can happen in everywhere, i’m sorry to hear, couse indonesia is my country.
Kate,
Unbelievable! I felt the tension building the more your tale unfolded. It’s a massive relief that everyone is safe.
I second Marsha, I’m a weak swimmer. I would have drowned for sure!
Fact is, “safety” is a relative term when traveling. The crux here is you felt secure because Perama advertised themselves as following safety standards.
An unwelcome, rude awakening. The theft was a nasty turn of events and for that alone I say go get em’!
Thanks, Jeannie! And you know where the safety comes from? Lonely Planet. My shipmates and I have been writing to them like crazy.
Wow, Kate! What a story. Luckily everyone is safe, although probably a bit worse for wear.
I’ve taken ferries in Indonesia many years ago, and they were often a bit rickety. Trouble is, Indonesian airlines aren’t that safe either. Most of them are banned in EU air space.
Best of luck for the rest of your stay in SE Asia.
nice story telling..
back in 2005 i was using Perama service and it went very perfect.
i guessed u guys are in the bad time and bad condition.
if i were in ur position though i have skill for swiming, i’m sure i’ll got stressed indeed.
in the end, i hope all of us still want to traveling in indonesia, especially ocean adventure with sailing boat, and so on i hope Indonesian tour and travel reconsider again about SAFETY FIRST 🙂
You hear about small boats going under all to frequently in Asia whether it is in Halong Bay, a Philippine ferry, or in Indonesia. It is difficult for travelers to discern what is safe because we are so trusting thinking that we are leaving ourselves in the hands of “experts.” Good to have this information and know that there are safer options available in Indonesia.
Gosh, that’s a crazy experience. Sorry about your stuff but glad you lived to write about it and no one got hurt.
You saved our lives at this very moment. We are in Mataram (Lombok) now, waiting for the pick-up tomorrow for the boattrip to Komodo and Flores. We were having doubts, but your story made it clear. We are going back to Bali right now!
We think it’s great you are making a mission of informing other people about this. We will help you by sending the link to others. Now we understand why our boattour was delayed…
Thank you a million times for your story and pictures. Thank god everyone survived and you even got your most important stuff back. But the way they treated you… We found out Philippine boats are dangerous but this is crazy!
Wish you a safe Asian trip and enjoy Thailand!
Frank, this comment makes me so happy. THANK YOU. I’m really glad that this link was useful to you! And I’m sorry to have disrupted your trip, but Bali is a lovely place as well!
I saw all of your tweets about being shipwrecked. I can only imagine how terrifying that must have felt. I didn’t know though the boat tour company was sponsoring you?! You would think they wouldn’t steal your valuables for fear you would write about it. I also didn’t know this about boat tours in Indonesia, but I’m glad I do know. Glad you and all of your shipmates are alright!
I think I read this entire post with my jaw on the floor. I cannot believe you had that harrowing experience on what was supposed to be a safe (and complimentary) adventure. I can’t imagine how frightening that must have been. I am so glad that you and everyone else made it out fine. What nerve, though, for them to have a sticker about sailing while high and for not taking responsibility for stolen goods or getting home. Wow. I’m so sorry about your lost goods, but I’m so glad you are all right!
What a story and beautifully told. I’m so glad that you and everyone else on board was OK, I can only imagine how much the parents with the baby must have freaking out. I”ve always wanted to go to Komodo, but had no idea the boats were that unsafe. Your blog post will help bring attention to this and hopefully tour companies will do something about the safety standards. Was also horrified to read that you struggled to get a life jacket and one that was working. That’s a basic necessity on a boat.
Such a scary story! I’m glad everyone is safe – sounds like you all got together in a tough situation and worked as a team. And how terrible that they went through your stuff! Good for you for not letting it scare you into going home early.
How is it that you were able to take pictures of yourself stranged? And why not offer your lifejacket to the baby’s parents?
Jeff, I took the photo myself, and the baby’s parents each had a lifejacket — there were none that would fit the baby.
Hi Kate,
I am sorry to hear about the accident and thank you for sharing the experience with us. Will definitely pass it to everyone I know and warn them not to go by Perama.
Thank you, Ailtje.
Hi Kate,
I am from Indonesia. I am very sorry for what have happened but i am not surprised by how they have treated you. Your bag was ransacked for sure, happened all the time here and usually the police wont help. At worst, they will ask you for money.
Thank you, Andri. Yes, it certainly was a learning experience.
what a creepy experience, Im sorry about what happen, and sadly its happen in my country.
I even afraid doing trip with boat in Indonesia, I wonder why no news about this on the national television. Im glad you’re OK…
Nobody died. That’s why it didn’t make the news.
I’m glad you wrote about your experience even if it is not a good one because people learn from others experiences. I hope that i will never get through such an experience!
This is some seriously wild stuff. Glad you are ok. I have had some crazy stuff happen to me in other countries, and they always make good stories, but I think this is one story I could do without!! Thanks for spreading the word about what to avoid!
Scary shit! Glad to know everyone made it in one piece. Take care!
Really well written Kate, particularly so given how scared you must have been and how thinking about the story must still bring back terrible memories. As I said in my other comment, glad you’re safe!
All I can say is that I’m glad you’re safe, and that I will heed your warning about Indonesia. For some reason, I thought this was a minor wreck when I read yur donation message earlier, but now I realize it was much more serious. And shame on Perama!
A brilliantly written blog – thank you. We had booked on the Bali – Komodo 5D tour in May and now having second thoughts. Appreciate that all boat trips around Indonesia carry a certain amount of risk but have you heard since of any alternatives – even if they cost a lot more?
This is a perfect example of why Facebook shouldn’t have just a “Like” button! lol 182 people liked an article about a very serious event for a traveler… WTF??? Glad you made it out and everyone was ok.
I’ll be honest I don’t know what i would have done because if it came down to my computer and camera I would be freaking out like I was drowning already. I guess it comes back to a good point of having a dry sack that can fit most the critical electronic stuff in it, in an emergency. I used to carry 2 with me all the time but finally took them out of my travel bag because after 2 years of traveling I never used them. Might want to rethink that now i guess.
Please bring a drybag, T-roy! It saved me on so many occasions!
Kate,
I am very impressed with the story above. Thank you for sharing.
You know I stumbled across your story when I was looking for information about shipwrecks and safety in this part of the world. We are opening a dive center in Labuan Bajo and were completely shocked to find the lack of safety by even the best companies. It’s crazy. We are importing almost everything safety related as it nearly impossible to find in that part of the world.
I am glad you made it and went on to tell your tale. The picture of Ellen broke my heart!
Paul, I’m really happy to hear that you are building a safe company! The locals in Labuan Bajo told me that Perama is not familiar with the local waters — glad to hear that you are being based locally. Thanks for your kind words.
i love your story <<3
i'm from Indonesia and i love Bali and all in Indonesia..
I have a suggestion: you should to get on a plane or a ship large if you come
i'm so glad you survived
i’m so glad you survived
I took this Perama tour back in 2003 and had a fantastic experience. The wholesale smear against the company is really quite disgusting, exploiting this for their own purposes. The obviously distraught passengers make accusations and turn quite ugly. The whole event is an unfortunate accident. The crew did its best and no one was injured. The crew should be seen as heros.
So, Jeff McNeill took this trip eight years ago and had a good time? Great, and no doubt Perama has operated dozens of similarly successful trips since then – and built up a good reputation before that.
As he says, this was an “unfortunate accident”, but judging from Kate’s account, avoidable. It’s quite possible that the company for her trip had a different management as well as, almost certainly, a different crew.
I do feel that Kate, in using bold and big font for parts of her account is being over-sensationalist. Jo, on April 6th said it best: you only need to substitute the Philippines for Indonesia.
When travelling through other countries one has to suspend one’s cultural expectations and be open to new experiences without imposing (too many) ‘false’ (i.e. alien) values. If you want home comforts, then stay at home.
That said, how safe is it where you come from? America is a far scarier place than Indonesia in some respects: there are no drive-by shootings and fewer folk have been killed by terrorist outrages here than in the USA, the UK and Spain.
Having lived in Indonesia for over 23 years, and travelled throughout, there are two factors which I am aware of in general.
First, there is a lack of forethought, of the notion of consequences. The circumstances of the shipwreck indicate that the crew was relatively inexperienced and management should have exercised greater control, even cancelled that particular trip. Oversight of the company rests with the local government who have access to weather forecasts and could have, should have, predicted the inherent dangers of setting out. After all, local fishermen generally do, so the knowledge is available.
Still, live for today, que sera sera, is a survival instinct among the poor and one cannot realistically expect.
What does make me angry about this incident though is the theft of personal belongings. Yet I am not surprised as I know of several cases of folk lying unconcious on a road following a road accident who arrived in hospital stripped of their valuables such a watches and wallets.
It happened to me once in Malaysia.
But the thief was an Englishman!
Jeff, if you think that taking the same tour EIGHT YEARS (!!) ago gives you insight into what happened that night, you are incredibly mistaken.
Six years ago, I did a three-day tour of the French Riviera with a Florence-based tour company. The tour was great, and I had a wonderful time. Let’s say, for a scenario, that the company is still running that same tour. Let’s say that on a tour this year, the bus crashes and the driver was found to be intoxicated, or, less sensationally, the vehicle was found to have a mechanical problem that should have been fixed earlier.
Would I jump up and say that the participants were running a smear campaign against the company? Of course not. I WAS NOT THERE. How would I know?! Taking an enjoyable tour several years ago gives me no insight whatsoever into what could have happened today! They probably have all new employees!
The fact is, the only people who handled our bags were the crew. Our bags were found with valuables taken from our zipped compartments, then filled with beer cans and cracker tubes and zipped up again. Most people would consider this an obvious robbery. I’m really surprised that you don’t.
I’m curious about the details of the theft. Did anyone else have anything stolen? It would seem pretty odd for a thief to just go after a few bags when there was a ship full of bags. Was your bag zipped up when the ship went down? If it was open, things could have fallen out. The things that were not yours could have been stuffed into the bag by the crew as they were hauling bags out of the boat just to have a place to put it. It is hard to come up with an explanation as to why a thief would put random stuff in the bag.
Also, how remote was the crash site? The ship would have been visible to anyone sailing by, and it was really close to the shore. I’m sure you have heard stories of locals descending on ship wrecks, and plundering everything. Look up the history of Bali, the Dutch used the excuse of preventing the locals from looting shipwrecks as an excuse to invade the island 200 years ago. It sounds like the locals would have had a full day to pick through the ship. Hey, if you dropped a wallet in a US city and someone found it the next day, would you be surprised if they found it empty of money, so it isn’t just people in Indonesia who would do that?
I feel your pain, I had a MacBook and $500 stolen out a hotel room in Chicago, but in that case it was most likely a teenager who had been in the room, and not the hotel staff. And another time all of the hubcaps were taken off my car in an unsecure parking space at a hotel in Mexico.
There most definitely needs to be more safety inspections. Non-functioning life jackets and life boats are inexcusable? Were they non-functional when the ship left, or did they get damaged or inaccessible during the crash?
Jerome
Hi, Jerome —
Yes, many people had their items stolen. My bag was zipped up, and so were the compartments within my bag. The pattern was the same — our bags had been unzipped, our valuables removed, our bags were refilled with beer cans and cracker tubes, and they were zipped shut again. My shipmates believe it was a robbery and it was probably done so that people wouldn’t notice right away that their bags were much lighter than usual.
The crash site was pretty remote — the island onto which we crashed was part of an archipelago on the north edge of Komodo Island. The crew stayed with our sunken boat the whole time. As far as I could see, there were no other ships in that area, but I can’t say for sure that nobody else was there. Furthermore, fishermen in Labuan Bajo told us that they never go into that area during low tide because it’s dangerous. We went at low tide, in the middle of the night, during a storm.
The lifejackets not being functional had nothing to do with the wreck — they were knotted and stuck in the mesh for the whole voyage. The crew said the inflatable lifeboat wasn’t usable because it was raining (!), which anyone knows is a ridiculous excuse. I’m not sure what happened with the wooden lifeboat.
Hope this clears some things up for you.
I am so touched reading your post. I really can related myself to your story. I have been on one of the sea cruise from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, the storm was horrible and Thanks God we were safe.
I am Indonesian not not so proud about the safety regulation on transportation in this country either. Especially water transport indeed.
My Friends and I once stranded on a speedboat from Derawan to Tarakan (should be a maximum 3hrs ride) but then, in the middle of the sea, it stopped, it run out of gasoline!!!, we waited without being able to send SOS to anyone else (no GSM/Phone signal and the boat doesn’t have communication device!, let alone a life jacket!!)…then for the next 3 hours, in the middle of the pouring rain, finally a fishermen slow boat came to the rescue and we spent another 8 hours on that slow boat to get to the land!.
I decided to buy my own life jacket so whenever I need it, I don’t have to rely to anyone else’s.
Hi Kate,
I visit your website quite regularly and always mean to read this post but haven’t up until now; where I’m sat in an internet cafe in Melbourne almost in tears having read your story. (Thankfully it’s quite a quirky internet cafe and I’m almost hidden under the stairs!)
It sounds like such a scary experience, thank God you’re alright.
I guess it goes to show that, however prepared you are for traveling the world, you can never prepare for something like this.
Looking forward to reading about your future travels.
Beverley
Thank you so much, Beverley. 🙂
what a story…..I’m happy that all of you are fine after this ‘special’ trip. I’ve been to Indonesia several times,, but never using a boat till now. But I wanted to go on a surftrip by boat this November.. & next year my friend & I want to travel around southeast Asia for 10 months… but now,, I won’t get on any boat there after your story. Thanks a lot for that… I’m really used to stay on boats (motor- & sailingboats) in Europe… & I always think it can’t be so dangerous in other countries.. I mean it could be, because safety controls are not so regular, boats are older etc. but that it could be so dangerous as you wrote,, I coulnd’t believe. Your blog is amazing & it will help my friend & me a lot for our trip 🙂 !! I just found your comment on the Rip Curl School of Surf side… 😉 !! I took class two years ago at the same place… & I still continued with surfing (went back to Bali twice a year)… I already ride a 6.2 board 🙂 So it’s worth it … 🙂 keep on going. Take care. Carla (Switzerland)
What an amazing story I can’t even begin to imagine what I would be like! you were so BRAVE… and thank god the baby was ok! God forbid anything would have happened to him! Just an incredible story! xxx
Thanks for sharing Kate. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have heard a story like this. A friend of my uncle had a similar experience. If not for a delayed flight, my uncle would have been on the boat too. I know a lot of people have positive experiences, but after seeing some of the ‘sea worthy’ vessels, not to mention the crew and companies who operate them, I simply won’t get on board.
Having survived a horrifying flight with Garuda airlines and staying at a very expensive resort where I was harassed constantly by a male staff member (despite my complaints to management), I can safely say I have no interest in returning to bali (and most of indonesia). In fact, shortly after returning home from the trip, my travel consultant told me that a women was attacked at the resort by the same staff member I made multipul complaints about. I know many fellow Aussies can’t get enough of Bali, but I won’t be returning, which is unfortunate because I have also experienced the kindness and generosity the Balinese are so well known for.
Having said all this, I am very glad that you and everyone else onboard made it to safety. I’m sure it was a terrifying time, only made worse by the lack of sympathy shown by Perama. If anything, this highlights how what we consider to be safe and what is considered to be safe by other countries, isn’t always the same thing. Safe travels!
WoW Kate! Amazing story! I went diving in the Komodo National Park last year but I was diving from Labuan Bajo (Reefseekers) and not on a Liveaboard. After my trip I wrote a review about scuba diving in the Komodo Islands: http://divezone.net/komodo-island.htm . I hope you will like it!
Thank you for this post…I read it quite a while after publication but I am glad it reached me. Personally, I’ll never sleep on a boat in SE Asia or in other countries where safety is not always a priority. I’m getting myself on a boat in Halong Bay but won’t sleep on it…
I am glad that you and all the people on the boat were safe. I can’t even start imagining how horrible it was. Shame on the company!
Thank YOU, Denise! I’m really glad you read it. I don’t regret sleeping on a boat in Halong Bay, but I think you’ve got a really smart strategy.
First – I’m so glad you’re safe!
Second – Uh… I’m planning to go to Indonesia in a couple of months…. We were looking to travel by ferry from Bali to the island that Jakarta is on and working our way via trains and ferries to Singapore. Is this something you would advise against? Is there a better way to make the trip from Bali to Singapore? Our other option is to just fly straight to Singapore from Australia…. We have to leave Oz at the end of Feb, and are just looking to get to somewhere in Southeast Asia to continue our travels. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Tiffany, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid boats in Indonesia. I think you should do it — Java to Bali isn’t a long ride. What you should avoid is sailing at night. Either way, make sure your stuff is in a dry bag.
Aviation in Indonesia is also extremely dangerous. Garuda seems to crash all the time, especially on internal flights.
What utter tosh, Caitlin.
For sure, Garuda had an appalling reputation up to its last fatal crash on 7th March 2007 when it overran the runway at Yogyakarta. The previous fatal crash was 11 years previously when a flight on its approach to Medan airport crashed in a mountainous area. Gossip was that either air traffic contro or the pilot couldn’t tell his left from his right..
Following the Yogya crash, Garuda, and all other Indonesian airlines, were banned from entering European airspace until they’d raised maintenance standards to international standards. This was acheived in 2009 and is now recognised as one of the world’s top international airlines.
There are risks inherent in all forms of travel. If you’re not prepared to accept these, then stay at home.
On the other hand, most accidents take place at home ….
Hey! WOW what an experience! I travelled Indo by boat too- fortunately this didn’t happen to me. Glad there was a happy ending. Hey, did you ever thank Jesus? 🙂
Well, you certainly are living up to your name “Adventurous Kate” with that experience. = )
I liked your shout out to the 18 year old young man who was helpful throughout. In the midst of so much incompetency, disregard for safety and disrespect for people’s property, this guy was a shining light.
Good writing. Thanks. It’s almost comical that during an Indonesian shipwreck the nearest island you can swim to is Komodo. That’s like a scene in a cheap movie. So funny (if you’re not living it) but you lived through it and it was real!
Incredible story, Kate – and this might seem weird, but I’m a bit envious. This sort of adventure doesn’t happen to everyone, so although it’s a terrible thing to have gone through, it makes for one of the most amazing tales I’ve ever heard.
I’ll definitely be following your blog from now on! Happy travels, and maybe I’ll see you on the road sometime.
Wow, this is a crazy story. Thank you so much for sharing it. Where did you find out that people died going on speed boats from the Gili Islands?
I had a HORRIBLE experience on a speed boat from the Gili Islands back to Bali. I have never been so terrified in my life… encountered huge waves and thought we were going to capsize. The life vests were under our seats in wrapping, and they were really hard to open. They were also very poor quality.
People didn’t die — people were shipwrecked. And I’m not surprised at your experience at all.