Silver Cloud passengers stranded as Kimberley tide takes a turn for the worse

• A Silversea expedition cruise excursion took a sudden turn after a fast tide left cruisers unable to access the ship’s zodiacs.
• Passengers had to choose between making their way back through the coral beds, or waiting it out on Adele Island, until the tide changed.
• Some passengers were stranded in the dark for about four hours.

The Kimberley Coast is known for its raw beauty. It is also notorious for its tides, as passengers aboard the luxury Silver Cloud expedition ship discovered this week.

An incident resulted in around 70 cruise passengers being left stranded on an island, after being caught in fast-moving tides.

The passengers and 10 guides were enjoying an expedition excursion on Adele Island on Silver Cloud, off the coast of Western Australia, when everything took a sharp turn.

Due to the tides, the passenger suddenly found themselves in knee-deep water that the expedition Zodiacs couldn’t access, according to accounts from passengers on social media.

The Zodiacs were about 500 metres away, meaning passengers were faced with the option of clambering back to the Zodiacs or waiting it out on the island.

Some passengers managed to make their way back to the Zodiac vessels across the coral beds, and then return to the ship. However, about 10 passengers were left stranded on the island in the darkness, as the Zodiac vessels had to wait until the tide turned at around 10 pm local time, according to the guest reports.

In total, the cruisers spent about four hours in darkness on the island, and it’s unclear if they had any food or water. Luckily, they were in a warm climate, meaning passengers should have been able to wait on the island in relative comfort.

Cruiser Mark Reid details the adventure on Instagram: “What started as a fabulous trip across to Adele Island ended with all 100 odd passengers and staff getting caught by the rapid tide going out and stranded on the wrong side of the deeper part of the water.

“We all had to get out and make our way across coral beds to make it to new zodiacs and get to the ship, with everyone helping each other to get there.

“Lots and lots of scrapes and quite a few twisted ankles including one passenger, who now has his ankle strapped and is being iced and waiting to go back down for an X-ray just to make sure there is no fracture.

“This is what expedition cruising is all about, I suppose! An eventful day was had by all who took to the water.”

Other passengers were also treated for minor cuts and abrasions.

The ship has now continued onto its next destination, Talbot Bay.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed: “During a zodiac expedition, a tide change affected the return of a few small vessels to the ship. Some guests experienced injuries, and we immediately provided medical care. Everyone is ok and back on board.

“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority.”  

Staying safe on an expedition cruise

While there are plenty of ways to ensure your safety on a shore excursion, such as picking trusted operators, this scenario is a bit different.

On an expedition cruise, you generally go off and explore with the ship’s specialised expedition team. Which is why incidents such as this one are generally quite rare.

However, the nature of exploring is that sometimes things can go wrong, especially when entering more remote and rugged areas.

Some basic tips to stay safe on an expedition ship include…

• Picking a trusted cruise line with a good reputation.
• Never being afraid to ask questions to the expedition team and informing them of medical conditions or anything else that could be of importance to them and your safety.
• Taking out good travel insurance, and double-checking that it will cover you for expedition activities.
• Carrying at least small amounts of food and water with you, especially food concentrated with nutrition such as protein bars.
• While the expedition team will have first-aid kits on hand, making sure you have any other emergency items you might need such as an asthma puffer or glucose tablets, is important.
• Make sure you read any cruise briefings and research your cruise well beforehand, so you can make sure you pack adequately for whatever destinations you’ll visit, so you know if you need warm clothes, water shoes or anything else.
• Pay close attention to any safety briefings.
• If you go off wandering solo, make sure to let another passenger or a member of the expedition team know.