A tourist in Broome has had a fortunate twist of fate after narrowly avoiding a spot on the Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures horror boat trip on an idyllic vacation in the state’s northwest.
Brisbane traveler Peter Roney, 60, and his partner had plans to book a spot for a thrilling Horizontal Falls boat trip with the company involved in a boating incident Friday that left more than a dozen people injured.
Mr. Roney told The West Australian at his campsite that he would have been on the terrifying tour if he hadn’t had to renew his pet-sitting service while on holiday at a caravan park in Broome.
“We’re counting our lucky stars, I guess,” he said.
Mr. Roney, who has been traveling since January, said he would now think twice before booking with an adventure company on the water.
“I would hesitate to do it now until more information came out about the cause of the accident,” he said.
“I’d like to know (what caused it) before I did it.”
Camera icon Mr. Roney, who has been traveling since January, said he would now think twice before booking with an adventure company on the water. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian
The Falls Express, operated by Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, was on a tour of the natural wonder at Talbot Bay, about 150 miles northeast of Broome when it ran into trouble around 7 a.m. with 26 passengers and two crew on board.
Despite police claims, the company insists that the ship did not capsize and that no passengers were thrown into the turbulent waters.
On Saturday, WA Police said it was no longer investigating the incident, and investigators from Worksafe and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority led the investigation.
But in a statement released Saturday, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures said its boat was “involved in a maritime incident” as it traveled through the falls. Still, no passengers ended up in the water.
“The ship did not capsize, and there were no passengers in the water. The boat immediately returned to the pontoon,” the statement said.
“The operator can confirm that 26 passengers and two crew members were on board and that some of the guests were injured. Our team has worked with The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and emergency services providing medical and medivac assistance.
In a statement to The West Australian on Saturday, AMSA said its investigators were “currently involved in a multi-agency investigation into the serious maritime incident at Horizontal Falls in northwestern Western Australia.”
Two Melbourne travelers on a Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures boat trip just hours before another trip went horribly wrong also told West they would “buy a lotto ticket” after hearing about the horror incident.