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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.
Hi Kate, read your blog with deep concern as we are planning a indo trip to gili, and flores this year. Will definitely fly to Flores but you mention that The fast ferry to the Gili Islands sank twice last year. Do you mean the fast boats, or the ferries. Any details pls as we need to get to Gili. Regards Vince
Hi, Vince — it was the fast ferries that sank, and there aren’t a lot of ways to Gili. Whatever you do, pack your items in a drybag and grab a lifejacket.
This sounds completely and totally terrifying. I honestly can’t even believe these things happen there all the time. So lucky you got out okay. After reading this post I have seriously reconsidered travelling by ferries/boats around Indonesia.
Well, in a lot of cases, you have no choice but to go by boat — just don’t take night boats, and make sure you grab a lifevest whenever you get on a boat.
This reminded me of last April when I took one of the longboats from Lombok to Gilli T, our small boat got t-boned by another larger fishing boat, it actually pierced right through ours, whats worse is it was in the middle of the night. Luckily the hole it punched through us was about 2 inches above water line so we didnt sink. However about 5 minutes later when we were gunning it to the island it started pouring down rain and I realized we had NO life vests onboard, would have been a scary swim to shore if we could even make it. But I love the Gillis so im taking the fast ferries tomorrow morning wish me luck!
What a scary incident, Chris. This is what kept me from visiting the Gilis, as much as I wanted to go there.
Hi Kate, my name is Denty I come from Indonesia. I am sorry to hear your unpleasant and unsafe experience having trip in Indonesia. I feel deep sorry for it. I also want to say thank you for your posting about it. Glad to know that you’re safe. Sometimes the experience turn into good or bad, but hopefully it never be an obstacle for you to travel around the world, including Indonesia. Have a great day, Kate. Hope to see you sometimes… 🙂 Ps: Kate, I so adore you for your brave having trip only by yourself. Keep be an inspiration for everyone.
-Denty.
Thank you, Denty! One of the highlights of visiting Indonesia was getting to know the incredibly kind and friendly people like yourself. I had a great time there, shipwreck notwithstanding, and hope to return.
Hi Katy, thanks for information, I will go there soon and I have a plan to do same way, but probably with different company:)
I was undecided about Perama tour or flying to LBJ, think this has confirmed my choice 🙂 thanks
Thrilled to hear it, Julieann. Have a great time.
Kate, this is a harrowing story! You go into such detail. I think you’ve motivated me to ensure I carry a drybag on me when I’m working/traveling. Thanks for your up front, real, and detailed story.
oh my God, what a terrible holiday… 2 years ago, i went to Komodo Island from Lombok but by bus just like “what backpacker do” it takes long time but the journey and the experience are worthed as well… Thx Kate for sharing this story 🙂
hope you will comeback to Komodo Island or another place in Indonesia (have you go to Wakatobi Archipelago in South East Celebes?) soon and of course with happy ending trip…;p
widya
Indonesia
I just found your post now when looking for info about this same trip. SO glad I found it. We are traveling with our two children and have been on many boats, longtails, ferries and speed boats around Southeast Asia and we have noticed that the life jackets seem to be very old, tied up, wrapped in the original plastic or non-existent. Some of our trips have been very scarey (where I asked the Austrian girl next to me to please grab one of my children should we capsize and I would grab the other, because my husband was seated far away from us). But for some reason I just let it go to the boat company/staff once we were safe, not wanting to be some over-reacting-neurotic-westerner. Let it be known, she has been unleashed!
Anywho, I really appreciate that you shared your story because it has made us look at our future boat excursions more closely and to change our Indo plans a bit. Thanks so much!
That’s completely f*ck*d up! We’ve recently lived an accident too. Stay safe!
Thanks. I’m very glad I read that today. Komodo Island is near the top of my bucket list and in a few months I will be travelling indefinitely with my small children. I could easily have ended up on one of those boats. Day trip it is!
I went to Bali a few years ago and witnessed the dangers of water activities in general. Boats towing inflated rafts were flying really high up in the air and we saw a very dangerous parasail crash landing on the beach. When we went snorkeling, we were dropped around a bunch of other boats and while was looking under the water, a boat sped right by my head….I was done snorkeling after that. I would not recommend doing anything on the water in Indonesia. Everything seems very dangerous and it’s obvious that they don’t have and/or follow any safety standards. Your story confirms this even more!
Amanda, I will confirm that Indonesia had a very different feel to it than Thailand, for example. I’m certainly more wary. And that snorkeling incident sounds very frightening.
Full on! I love how you speak your mind and tell it how it is. “The lifeboat is not working right now”, what! that is hectic, I am going to be cautious trekking through the Indo Islands now. So glad you all made it to safety, I couldn’t imagine the thoughts running through your minds, scary ones at that I might add. Another great blog, very well written, Cheers
What a brilliant story, great reading. Not everyone can say that they’ve survived a real shipwreck!
I just finished a tour with PERAMA…. i enjoyed it but only because the pluses outnumbered the minuses (which were far too many)…. the islands were so beautiful, but the customer service was poor to practically non-existent…
diesel fuel spill – the 1st day someone must have spilled fuel below decks because the fumes were thick and nasty, luckily they dissipated by the second day (or I would’ve demanded my ticket been changed from cabin to deck – oh, and don’t get a cabin unless you get one of the few available on the deck, the below deck rooms are hot and nasty)…
cold drinks – the crew/company doesn’t understand that foreigners like cold drinks on hot days by the second day of each leg of the trip the drinks were room temperature (easily solvable problem “bring extra ice or use dry ice”)
washed away trash – I have insomnia and couldn’t sleep well (especially in the below deck cabins), at 3 AM I saw 5 bags of trash (which we foreigners meticulously collected) sitting on the back deck of the boat but by 7 AM they were gone and we hadn’t stopped anywhere to drop our rubbish off (a fellow passenger even confronted the tour director). This pissed us all off and dramatically reduced the tip I was going to give each crew member from $5 a member to $1 a person.
The attitude of the crew members really stood out on the last night, I was on the top deck watching the stars and fell asleep only to wake up at 2 AM to see a crew member walk by and flick his cigarette ashes on me when he thought i was asleep. I knew they were upset with me because earlier that night they were getting drunk, playing music and singing loudly while the few of us awake were quietly star gazing. After putting up with ~90′ of that racket, I made my displeasure clear and they moved to the deck below. How they don’t understand that this is our vacation time and not theirs is beyond me).
If you have the money don’t use this company…that said it is the cheapest tour available (and the only one available in low season when I was there) .. At no time did I feel unsafe, they’ve replaced the life jackets and the lifeboats appeared to be new and in good condition.. the tour director was very nice and well-informed young man from Flores (i hated not being able to tip him better). I’ve lived in Thailand for over eight years and know that southeast Asians generally don’t ‘understand’ customer service, but the Indonesians make Thai service and peoples shine.
OH MY GOD! What a nightmare! Was your computer ruined?? That’s my biggest fear! Well, I’m traveling to Indonesia in December and I will definitely heed your advice!
Hi Kate! Just to let you know, your experiences are not completely unique. I and 8 others (two locals) were also shipwrecked on Komodo Island on February 11, 2004. We spent one night out in the open and walked the next day out to a fishing beach where we caught a ride with a local man and a boy to the village. We had neither food or water and it was pretty dramatic. Why nobody drowned I really can’t say. We heard later that people had died where we went into the water, and I believe it. We all got police reports, but nothing came of it of course – the two boats handlers were clearly (in my mind at least) at fault as they took us into an area the boat had no chance of coping we. We quite literally swam for our lives. Thanks for posting and reminding me of our experiences.
Woow! I’m Indonesian & I’ve been to Komodo before, but I did’nt even know about the Perama’s shipwreck. Really sorry about your tragedy, but I hope you still love Indonesia..
being an indonesian, this is sad, but to be honest we trust companies owned by foreigners more. more expensive, yes, but safer.
great post, and feel really encouraged to start travelling within my own country. sad thing, being the biggest archipelago country, we go overseas to find beaches though there are more than enough to visit. .
i suggest you go to derawan island near tarakan, kalimantan, indonesia. very beautiful!
Wow, a very scary experience written about and this is a stunning reminder that, bad things can happen and it’s so important to be careful with our safety while we travel.
Thanks for all the information, Kate! We’re about to head to Komodo and were thinking about doing a cruise…. maybe not. I’m so glad everyone was safe though, especially the Danish baby! What a thing to already have lived through.
Hi there,
Very interesting blog indeed!
I’m visiting Indonesia this summer and hoped you could guide me a bit… My boyfriend and I were thinking about taking a bus from Yakarta to Cipanas. Is it safe to travel around Java in bus? Not thinking just about robbery, which I heard is rather usual, but also on personal safety…
Thanks a lot!!
Let me start by saying… Whoa. I was riveted through the story. Though the happy ending was foretold by you being here to write it, I’m glad that you and your shipmates got through this one OK.
I guess this serves as a reminder to be extra careful when abroad. And that “safe” is a relative term. I’m planning a trip to Indonesia next year (I live and teach in Taiwan) and now I’m absolutely certain I won’t be taking any boats. It’ll all be puddle-jump airplanes for me, thank you very much. Not the most environmentally friendly option, but until Indonesia masters the boats-that-don’t-sink technology, I guess it’s the only option.
Funny how people are still terrified to fly, but boats have a waaaaayyyy worse safety record. Several times a year I read about a ferry somewhere capsizing and everyone dying. I’ll definitely be forwarding this one on to keep loved ones safe.
Thanks for the amazing tale!
Shipwreck with Perama in sanur going to Lembogan
We took the boat to Sanur July 29 with Perama CIE to get to Lembongan, after 100 meters the ship struck a wreck and began sank with 25 passengers on board. My wife was projected on a bench and had four ribs broken, on board it was panic, the crew did not know what to do and the passengers began yelling for us to come help us. We were at 100 meters from the shore and we were forced to jump into the water with our bags. We distributed ourselves lifejackets but there were not enough for all. I helped my wife and my two daughters to swim but the current did not allow us to move. Finally boats came and we were able to save. My wife stayed 11 days in BIMC hospital to absorb hemothorax and treatment.
Perama company has no insurance, the paper she makes you sign states initially states you wil have one night’s room and first aid paid. Our insurance company ( mastercard gold ) paid more than € 11 000 plus the repatriation by air of 4 passengers . BIMC hospital without insurance treats you only if you can pay. We lost about 3,000 euros in smart phones, camera and other.
Perama stated to the police that there were no injuries, we brought the consul it changes the statement.
When we were recovering we are aware of several incidents and accidents of this type by discussing with Balinese people.
No company is safe in that no crew is professional and boats in the best case are second hand without safety equipment (radio, life raft, life, etc..).
If this accident had happened at sea the results would have been very heavy.
Many of these injuries are not known or officially reported (see false police report which blamed the accident the wind) including not hurt tourism. We chose Perama was considered serious company by Lonely Planet
I strongly advise not to go to Gili or Lembogan boat
Very sorry to hear about this, Frederic. I’m glad that you’re safe now and that you’re now recovering. Keep spreading the word. Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum is a great place to tell your story.
The ” Komodo by Camera tour” from Perama Tours is still very much active and in fact is the only tour listed on the wikivoyage/wikitravel page, but thanks to you, I know better. I will now be flying to Labuan Bajo, Flores, and do a day trip to Komodo Island or Rinca.
Thank you very much for this post.
I’m very happy to hear that, Eric. Keep spreading the word.
Hi Kate,
Looking back this must be an experience that you can share for many years – but when it happened it must have been one of the most scariest moments of your life. I love the way you write – getting into the small details.
To more safe trips!
Arjun
Thank you, Arjun!
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Wow. We just took the same cruise and were on the edge of our seats the whole time. They overbooked the boat so we had to sleep outside in front of the captains wheel area. The nights were very rough and we got soaked every night. One night, a crew member told us all to move to one side of the boat because of how badly we were leaning…. Glad you made it out fine….and that we did too. I really wouldn’t recommend that tour to anyone, ever. We saw all the same lack in safety standards with lfe jackets, over booking, sailing in way too rough waters…. yikes.
Thanks for sharing, Charlie. Someday I’m going to compile all of these.
Wow what an experience you had, I would not want to recommend the trip myself..
Scary experience, precaution for the other travellers..thanks
What an amazingly awful experience you had – as a mother (although mine are full grown) I can only imagine what that little girls parents were thinking and feeling. How wonderful that you thought about connecting with the other solo travellers in the water. Even alone you have shown, you do not need to be in this kind of situation. This was a really interesting post. I look forward to reading more.
HI there, what a terrible experience you went through. It must have been awful but I liked your attitude once in the water. What an awful thought for me as a parent – the mine tying his baby to him with a scarf and then jumping in. I’ll keep reading… 🙂
This is the third time – hope the other two haven’t come up as well. 🙂
What an awful experience you had – the thought of the guy tying his baby to him with a scarf, then jumping in was disturbing. Why was I not surprised at the ineffectual way the boat was looked after, for your safety – oh yeh, I’ve travelled to a few places like this. You are one lucky lady! I look forward to reading more of your adventures. 🙂
Agree. Had a similar experience crossing during the daylight from Mando to Bunaken with my mom and aunt, and friends. The boat took the trip despite our concern for what seemed like a forming storm. Lucky nothing happened to us, but the boat next to us flipped completely and sank, we could everyone there floating but we were unable to help. Scariest experience in Indonesia, suffered similar ones in other parts of the country, however flying, motorcycling, and driving in Indonesia are not that safe either!
Awful.
That is a crazy story, Kate. Good thing the dragons didn’t get you. Last time I was in Indonesia, I lost my wallet, had to find the cheapest way to go anywhere or do anything! By the end, was living with sea gypsies, sleeping on the floor of their wooden shack over the water. In retrospect, I never would have experienced so much without the tragedy.
Love your blog, by the way!
Wow — that sounds like a real adventure!
Wow crazy stuff there! But I guess, these are the downside of travelling solo overseas. I found your blog very interesting and real, with all the pictures and videos you used to illustrate your experience. In my late twenties, I would definitely do a trip like yours and discover the world. I think that exploring the world and learning from different cultures are among the things one should experience in their life. Are there some advices you can give me for when I’ll do my big trip round the world? What are the benefits and downsides of doing a solo travelling?
Go alone and you’ll be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. That in and of itself is priceless. And if you travel anywhere as popular as Southeast Asia, you’ll meet new people constantly!
Wow, I was literally just thinking about doing the same tour with the same company when I return from my current trip. It’s true about boats in Indonesia in general. We did two fishing trips in Batam. The boats were a private hire and it was against out better judgement, and many do not even meet international standards for open sea traveling!
It is with a heavy heart that I post this, but this very same boat has sunk again, this time people are missing and the search was not called in due to lack of communication equipment.
Not sure if link shows up here:
http://www.eturbonews.com/49193/british-new-zealand-and-spanish-tourists-among-those-15-still-mi
This is a real tragedy for all those on board and their families. All of us who live in the region extend our sympathy and hope that there is a positive resolution.
PLEASE – chose your tour operator and method of transportation carefully.
It’s terrible news. It doesn’t matter who the operator is; this proves that it’s a very dangerous trip and to go, you’re taking your life into your own hands.
I must apologize. Local media was publishing this as being Perama, the company you got shipwrecked with. It was not them. Same style boat, same trip, same schedule, same problems…different company.
It still is a tragedy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2727086/Huge-sea-search-rescue-operation-way-Indonesia-islands-boat-carrying-20-foreign-tourists-sinks.html
remember thinking about doing this trip and reading your blog which did actually put me off doing it..was there not that long ago either
I’m glad that you stayed away, Carl. This is a terrible tragedy.
I read this this morning about two hours before an identical news story broke. This time, with a worse ending.
Kate, thanks for this article and the work you have done to highlight these dangers. It’s very much appreciated.
Awful, terrible news. I hope this continues to encourage travelers to stay away from these cruises.
Ah, Kate, this is a crazy story! Your telling of it is lovely and emotive, however. I’m so glad everyone was safe. Yikes!! You’ve definitely earned your “adventurous” title 🙂
Hello Kate you are very daring girl
Just found your blog and found this entry — crazy!!! I’m glad you survived. I went to Komodo Island last year in December (~ 20-24 December) but I did the Denpasar – Labuan Bajo flights. We booked an all-inclusive with Jayakarta Hotel and highly recommend it. They picked us up at the airport with the resort’s car, the resort was really nice, the food was great (they made lunch boxes for us to take when we explore Komodo and Rinca) and they have their own boat (fits ~10 people) and their captain was SUPERB (I think he was in the Indonesian navy). We also had some very high and scary tides in which made it super long for us to get back from Komodo Island to Labuan Bajo. We had the lifejacket on the whole time of the boat ride but the captain was very very good at his job and we arrived back safely. I’m so sorry you had a bad experience in Indonesia.
Ella, I’m glad you had such a GREAT experience! Thank you for sharing it here.
Thank you so much for posting this insane and brave story! I’ll keep all your advice in mind as I plan my trip to Indonesia. I did actually think of flying to Flores instead of taking the night boat as my partner gets seasick very easily. I hope the planes are safer than the boats there.
And thank god for Tobias Funke!
This seems to be very dangerous and scary experience.And this post proves how important to go through the travel blogs.By reading this types of posts we can understand what to do and what not to do.And main important and good thing is that you are safe.
Wow, what an amazing story
http://www.blogsbygabrielle.blogspot.com
Hi Kate,
Wow! This story is crazy!
We did an overnight boat trip to Komodo and Rinca from Labuanbajo back in February 2011. I’m glad I this post wasn’t around before we did it! I can’t remember which company we used now but the seas were very calm during our trip.
Glad all of you were okay in the end and such a pity they rubbed salt in the wounds by fleecing your bags too! 🙁
We do love Indonesia though, have visited three times and would go back! 🙂
Safe travels,
Noelle
I’m glad YOU were all right, Noelle!
Wow this seems like an experience learnt. And definitely something to keep in mind.