A First Person Account Puerto Galera Accident September 18, 2000 1. Just before our scheduled 3:30 pm departure on Sunday from Coco Beach Resort, we were informed that the trip would have to be cancelled due to terrible weather conditions. It had already been raining heavily since I got there (Friday morning) and the winds were unusually strong. Diving was tough getting to and from dive sites. 2. The next morning, our scheduled 7:30am departure was slightly delayed because we had to trek the Coco Beach Mountain to the other side in order to board the Coco Express (out-rigger boat) safely. The resorts main beach was covered in surging water and too rough for the guests to pass. 3. After waiting about 20 minutes for the others to board the boat, we headed out to the Maniaga pier in Batangas City. Coco Beach had another boat that left just before we did and we convoyed to the same destination. After a few minutes we were heading slightly left compared to them and they were slowly leaving us behind, traveling much faster. I don’t know how many passengers were on that boat but I do know that it was a bigger boat and that they were less than we were. 4. Just out at sea I’d noticed that the waves and swells were very large, the wind blew strong and the rain started to pour. Life jackets were only then distributed and strangely enough, the captain of the Coco Express walked to the front of the boat and one of the other boatmen manned the wheel. Other crewmembers stayed at the back of the boat and one behind the new “captain” of the ship. 5. Plastic windows were then brought down to keep the passengers as dry as possible (everyone was soaking wet anyway) and I’d noticed that we were virtually totally left behind by the other Coco boat that was riding the waves…we were traveling perpendicular to not just large swells but also heavy surf in deep water. 6. Dark and heavy clouds suddenly filled the sky and the rain poured very heavily while the winds picked up even more. The swells were growing and the surf was breaking on us, actually throwing some bags that we had inside the cabin area to the ground. Screams were heard at this time but everyone composed themselves again as the boat regained balance. 7. (My personal experience): Without thought and totally stunned by a feeling from a higher god, felt that something was wrong and took off my sunglasses, gazed towards my companions on my right side and noticed an older mans face filled with fear and right then and there (maybe in as little as 2 seconds) the boat tipped about 65 degrees for about 2 seconds and when the next surf, swell, wave or whatever it was hit us did we then totally capsize. 8. After being stuck underwater for what felt like too long, I’d somehow made my way to the surface and quickly searched for my companion. Most had already made their way to the surface and were hanging on and standing on the now capsized Coco Express. Some gripped the out-riggers that were still intact, they did not snap and break! There were also a few that were screaming profanities, looking for their loved ones and to top it all off, could not do anything about anything…we were literally helpless. The swells alone plus the crashing waves could have easily thrown us away from the boat and out into the middle of the ocean (where we would definitely not be found as the visibility was only about 30 metres on the surface, zero visibility underwater). 9. Survivors were floating with their life jackets and desperately trying to get back to the boat from the open sea. Those on the hull helped the struggling survivors get to the hull as well. I’d finally found my companion after about 30 seconds on the surface and quickly stuck with her to avoid loosing anyone else. It was already clear at this point that there were those that did not make it. 10. With some on the hull and others hanging on to the outriggers, we all held on for our lives as the crashing waves threatened to throw us back out into the open, stormy, rainy sea. One man was kind enough to scream out “hold on” before a wave came in to hit us and this advice proved to be very effective. I wish I could remember his name but it has already slipped passed me. 11. After what was maybe a half hour to 45 minutes later, maybe an hour, we were all freezing, shivering, and exhausted from holding on and still helpless to those still under. 2 bankas came to save us by getting us out of the water by throwing us ropes that were then tied to our out-riggers. I believe that one of the boatmen from the “savior” boat skin dived beneath our upside down boat in an effort to help those that could not get out in time…sadly, to no avail. 12. After everyone had gotten onto these 2 boats they took us to a nearby island called “Pisa”. I don’t know why we weren’t taken to Bonito Island which was significantly closer in this situation. We all just wanted to get to land and most had already grown pessimistic towards the reliability of these out-rigger boats, besides, after this kind of an experience, I promise you that land is where you want to go, it’s what you want! I’m terribly sorry for not remembering this but I cannot specifically thank the other banka that saved us but I would like to use this opportunity to thank the “Jun Jun Express” of Asia Divers (?) for helping us out. I do believe that the other banka was an Asia Divers banka as well. Thank god for them. I also cannot tell you what they were doing there to begin with. It could have been from a distress signal or simply by chance, I don’t know. I wish I could tell you where the coast guard was at this time but the first sight of them must have been 2 hours later, at Pisa, when they slowly passed in front of the beach and said nothing to us and left just as quickly as they’d come…I do believe that no help was offered. No medical attention to the near drowning victims, no medicine for the blood that spilled down people’s bodies, no dry clothes nor any towels for our freezing and naked bodies. Later I learned that 2 of the 3 coast guard boats in the vicinity were escorting some large vessel from one place to another, we were in a medical emergency situation and none approached our needs! Coco Beach sent me a message through one of their men that had come to Pisa alone, that we were to be brought back to Coco Beach. I quickly replied that I was not going back there no matter what anyone tells me and addressed the plan to the group of survivors, none were willing either and I made it clear to Coco Beach that we’d rather stay at Pisa than head back to Coco Beach. Finally after maybe two and a half hours at Pisa, Coco Beach’s other boat (the one we were following and that had safely made it to Batangas) arrived to bring us to the Mainaga pier in Batangas. Along with Coco Beach’s messenger/boatman, I boarded the boat and spoke with the captain. I very simply and very kindly and with a soft-spoken tone asked the captain what the plan was. I asked him where he was going to take us and he shrugged my off by saying that we were to just get on the boat and let him take us. Again but this time more firmly told him that I want to know the name of the place he was going to take us to, once more he said to just get on and leave him be. For the last time I insisted he tell me if we were at least going to Batangas or back to Mindoro, finally he says Batangas but he was very pissed off with me for simply inquiring where we were headed. Let’s not forget that we’d just survived a terrible accident and were all concerned for our well being…beyond that, everyone was already relying on me for answers and solutions to problems. At this point I organized for everyone to calmly board the boat and seated them down comfortably, life jackets from the capsized boat were carried and re-worn by the survivors while four jackets had gone missing and new jackets were brought out for those four passengers that no longer had their original jackets. A man requested coast guard assistance to Batangas just in case of a sudden emergency and just like this captain would, he shrugged me off again and made it clear to me that he was not going to send the request to the coast guards. For what reason I do not know. Back out at sea, the rain had began to pour again and the wind started up a stir amongst the passengers, boatmen started making their efforts to roll the plastic windows down but the guests refused (we believe that this is what drowned some of the victims). Everyone but a few sat out in the pouring rain while a few started asking me if everything was ok (I was standing behind the captain the whole way up to Batangas) and purely based on my own judgment said yes. Primarily, I did not want to cause a panic and secondly, in my eyes, it looked alright. The captain was also very sure of himself and I entrusted in him our lives in him. Finally the weather cleared and we were nearing a crowd that was waiting for us at the pier. Just before getting off the boat, Coco Beach’s messenger/boatman and I had gotten a piece of paper from a policeman on land and a pen to list down the names of all the passengers that had arrived safely. My companion and I were the first to sign in and get off the boat, straight off I asked the driver of their shuttle service where the L300 was and jumped right into it, leaned back, sighed and closed my eyes. The others started approaching and were being offered drinks of sorts, bread and a seat beside a sari-sari store. We just wanted to go home but were again given a hard time by yet another Coco Beach employee, the driver of the L300. He insisted that we wait for the other 2 L300’s that were supposedly on the way. After a very long wait at the pier, again in the rain but luckily in the car and the others in a room somewhere, we were taken to the Zig Zag hospital in Batangas City for x-rays and cleaning of bleeding cuts. Coco Beach did not even bother informing the hospital that they would shoulder the expenses as we had lost everything we had in the accident including our wallets; I literally had nothing but my underwear, my board shorts that don’t have any pockets and my wet t-shirt. The bill was paid for by a Chinese friend of one of the Chinese passengers that came over to pick up his friends/colleagues. He was very kind and refused our offer to pay him back for our expenses but also reassured us that he would charge Coco Beach for all the expenses he paid for. Again, all we wanted was to go home as we were all done at the hospital and again the driver refused to take us to Manila. He insisted that we go back to the pier and carry on waiting for the other vans to come and pick up the other passengers. We were full as it was and could not offer any more space to the other passengers that anyway had a seat in another van to get home. In the end he parked the car on hazards by the road without turning into the pier but ran down for who knows what reason but redeemed himself by bringing us 5 dry t-shirts to change into. Finally we were headed for the Makati Medical Center for further x-rays and re-assurance that we would not suffer from secondary drowning. My companion and I insisted to be brought to my house after the hospital instead of the inter-continental hotel, which is just beside my house anyway and after much argument with the driver, got home to my house. Shortly after getting home and telling my family of the accident, my father brought us to Makati Med for x-rays for our lungs and my friend and extra x-ray for her aching ribs. We were cleared and allowed home. The man we’d dropped off earlier was still in the emergency room and told us that he had to stay the night for further observation. Coco Beach has not made any efforts to contact us regarding the accident, the lost baggage, nor their disrespectful employees. Since then I’ve phoned their office in Manila for inquiries on the missing bodies and if any luggage has been recovered and they have not been helpful in any way.