Every now and then, [stuff] happens in expedition cruising.
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| Source: AAP |
According to a report from AAP, ten passengers and eight crew members from a luxury cruise were rescued from remote Adele Island, an uninhabited atoll off the Kimberley coast of Australia known for its beautiful coral reefs.
"Lying well offshore from King Sound, Adele Reef has no crocodiles," writes adventure bloggers Jack and Jude, "And while the water is not as clear as other mid-ocean coral reefs, it is clear enough to snorkel amongst a huge variety of marine life in the soft and hard corals."
Anyone familiar with the Kimberley coast will know of the dramatic tidal changes characteristic of the area. Tidal changes of around 10 metres are possible, making for some spectacular phenomena, such as the Horizontal Falls in Talbot Bay. However, it's easy to be caught off guard. Ask me how I know!
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| Source: Jack and Jude |
Seldom visited Adele Island is about 100kms directly west of the Prince Regent River and while guests and guides from Silversea's Silver Cloud were exploring, the tide caught them out, leaving the Zodiacs and their passengers stranded - high and dry - on the reef.
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| Guests come ashore safely from Silversea ship at Freshwater Cove (Tim Fairclough) |
The guests had to wade some 500m hurriedly back to the ship, abandoning their inflatable vessels on the reef. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries. The boats could not be recovered until the turn of the tide later that night, and the Silver Cloud has since continued on to Talbot Bay.
As author Tim Cahill reminds us, "An adventure is never an adventure when it happens. An adventure is simply physical and emotional discomfort recollected in tranquility,"
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