A day out snorkelling in Bali ended in horror and left a married Tauranga couple fighting for their lives when a wave capsized the ferry they were on.
“We saw children hurled against the roof of the cabin and could hear people screaming as the boat tipped.”
Dale and Jason Clark said they held on to what they could for as long as they could, “until we too were thrown on to other people by the wave”.
“We saw bodies being thrown around like [raffle tickets] as the boat was violently tipped upside down.”
The couple had been holidaying in Bali for three days. They were nearly at Sanur Harbour entrance on Tuesday afternoon this week when they saw a “massive wave” coming from the left side of the boat where they were sitting inside the cabin.
“We knew we were going to be flipped.”
According to international media reports, the boat was carrying about 80 people when it capsized while traveling from Nusa Penida to Sanur, Bali.
The incident was about 3pm local time when the boat was struck by large waves, reportedly measuring between 2 to 4 metres high, as it was preparing to dock.
Three people were killed, including two Chinese nationals and an Indonesian crew member.
Speaking to SunLive after the sinking, Dale and Jason said they remember thinking that this “can’t be happening to us”.
“It was terrifying but we both knew to try and remain calm even though we were scared for our lives.”
After the wave hit, they were both thrown into the upturned cabin that was already filling with water.
They were plunged into darkness with the water level at chest height.
“Jason and I called for each other and reconnected as quickly as we could,” said Dale.
She said it was a massive relief to find each other in the chaotic mess of people and debris.
The smell of petrol filled the cabin instantly; the couple grabbed life jackets each and made their way towards the front of the vessel.
Jason then remembered that the windows on the right side of the ferry were open before the wave hit.
He found an open window and while clinging to a life jacket managed to dive under the water and through the window out to the open air.
“He told me to follow him out the window, but debris was blocking my exit, so I used my foot to find where the window was and was pulled by one leg out of the window by Jason,” said Dale.
Once outside the cabin of the boat, the couple swam to a nearby liferaft and held on to it along with others.
“We saw locals who drove out in their boats to rescue people, but we knew to keep hold of the liferaft until we too were pulled on to a rescue boat.
“The swell was huge and made getting into a rescue boat difficult. Both of us were yanked in ... with others and taken ashore.”
They then reunited with others from their snorkelling party.
“We hugged each other and cried for a while. Then the thoughts of our three children [back in New Zealand] came to mind, and we knew we had to contact them somehow and let them know we were ok.”
They were taken to a cafe across the road from the harbour where they were able to contact their daughter.
Dale said surprisingly, her phone - which was in her crossbody bag - still worked.
Physically, Dale and Jason have lots of cuts and bruises but said the mental and emotional side of things was going to be a long journey, “but we have comfort in knowing we have each other to talk to”.
On the first and second night after the incident they barely got any sleep as the memories of the day were so vivid and the emotions were overwhelming.
“We cried a lot and held each other that little bit tighter, thankful and grateful for each other and our lives. Others weren’t so lucky sadly.”
The couple’s advice to others would be to always check the weather forecast for the day of your tour if on the water.
“Because, although the swell wasn’t too bad going out, it was very rough when we arrived at Nusa Penida and even when we were snorkelling the sea was rough ...
“Trust your instincts when traveling and put your own safety first. Finally, always get travel insurance too.”
Since the incident, Dale and Jason said they had not had any helpful communication from anyone.
They are yet to hear from relevant authorities in regard to what happened.
“Jason lost his backpack in all the mayhem, and we’re not really getting any straightforward answers,” said Dale.
“We’ve contacted the New Zealand embassy here in Indonesia to let them know we were onboard that boat and we were safe.
“We considered coming home immediately but then decided to continue our holiday and now that we are in Ubud, we are much more relaxed but still can’t wait to hug our three children and family when we get home.”