A tourist in Broome has had a stroke of luck after narrowly avoiding a spot on the Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures horror boat tour during an idyllic vacation in the state’s northwest.
Brisbane traveler Peter Roney, 60, and his partner had intended to book a place on a thrill-seeking boat trip to Horizontal Falls with the company involved in a boating incident on Friday that caused more than a dozen wounded.
Mr Roney told The West Australian at his campsite that he would have gone on the creepy tour if he hadn’t needed to extend his animal care services while on holiday at a Broome caravan park.
“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 aquatic adventure company.
“I would be hesitant to do that now until more information comes out about what caused the crash,” he said.
“I would like to know (what caused it) before I do it.”
The Falls Express, operated by Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, was on a tour of the natural wonder of Talbot Bay, about 250km northeast of Broome, when it ran into trouble with 26 passengers and two crew at board around 7 a.m.
Despite police claims, the company stressed that the vessel did not capsize and no passengers were thrown into the turbulent waters.
On Saturday, WA Police said they were no longer investigating the incident and investigators from Worksafe and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority were leading the investigation.
But in a statement on Saturday, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures said its boat “was involved in a marine incident” while traversing the falls, but no passengers ended up in the water.
“The vessel did not capsize and no passengers were in the water. The boat immediately returned to the pontoon,” the statement read.
“The operator can confirm that there were 26 passengers and two crew on board and that some guests were injured. Our team worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and emergency services who have provided medical and medical assistance.
In a statement given 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 the northwest of Western Australia”.
Two travelers from Melbourne on a Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures boat tour just hours before another trip went horribly wrong also told The West they were going to ‘buy a lotto ticket’ after hearing of the horror incident.