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Dec 21, 2010
Kayakers go missing for six hours on trip
Close call for group of S'poreans and friends on Philippines excursion
By Cheryl Ong
A KAYAKING expedition in the Philippines by a group of eight Singaporeans and their friends threatened to go awry when two of them went missing for six hours on Saturday.
The 11-strong group was at the islands off the province of Batanes, in northern Philippines, and had intended to start off at Sabtang Island and paddle some 12km to neighbouring Basco Island.
But strong winds and choppy waters wreaked havoc on their plans, causing two to go missing and another three to be swept some 10km off their intended course. Fortunately, a combination of quick-thinking on the part of fellow kayakers to alert a cargo ferry and good fortune ensured all were unharmed.
'Everybody's okay now, we're all relieved to get back to shore safely,' Mr Chan Tau Chou, one of the paddlers, told The Straits Times in a phone interview from Basco yesterday.
He had been joined by fellow Singaporeans Sim Cher Huey, Carol Leung, Karen Chao, Ong Yong Hui, Amos Sim, David Cho and Khor Yong Kok; Australian Kathy Wong; Indonesian Umartono Bimo; and Malaysian Moira Khaw on the 10-day trip.
Mr Chan, 35, a documentary producer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the plan was to set off last Wednesday.
However, strong winds, choppy water, and 2m-high waves forced the group to wait three days.
At noon on Saturday, they moved off in three teams - two of four paddlers, and the last of three. Everyone was armed with a global positioning system tracking device, radio and mobile phones.
Mr Chan, who was in the first team, reached Basco six hours later, but the other two teams behind were less successful.
The second team of four encountered rough seas and were split up. Two returned to Sabtang Island and were later picked up by the coast guard. But as their radios could not work, they were unable to inform the rest they had gone back.
Trip organiser Mr Sim Cher Huey, 35, and Ms Khaw decided to row out to sea to search for their teammates, whom they assumed were carried out by the current.
Ironically, they lost contact with the other paddlers when their radios stopped working as well. And so began a frantic six hours during which the team on shore could do little except try and establish radio contact with the missing duo.
'I just kept radioing in as we waited. I even hitched a ride on a motorcycle to take me to the other part of the island to try to reach them,' said Mr Chan.
The missing duo finally reached Basco past midnight on Sunday.
Mr Chan said the team of experienced kayakers had taken every precaution and knew the risks before embarking.
Batanes, located at the northernmost part of the Philippines, is also called the 'home of the winds'. The province, which has four seasons, is known for its mercurial weather and typhoons.
According to Captain George Ursabia, district commander of the Coast Guard Northern Luzon, the 'amihan' monsoon season caused strong winds from the east to buffet the islands.
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Dec 21, 2010
Kayakers go missing for six hours on trip
Close call for group of S'poreans and friends on Philippines excursion
By Cheryl Ong
A KAYAKING expedition in the Philippines by a group of eight Singaporeans and their friends threatened to go awry when two of them went missing for six hours on Saturday.
The 11-strong group was at the islands off the province of Batanes, in northern Philippines, and had intended to start off at Sabtang Island and paddle some 12km to neighbouring Basco Island.
But strong winds and choppy waters wreaked havoc on their plans, causing two to go missing and another three to be swept some 10km off their intended course. Fortunately, a combination of quick-thinking on the part of fellow kayakers to alert a cargo ferry and good fortune ensured all were unharmed.
'Everybody's okay now, we're all relieved to get back to shore safely,' Mr Chan Tau Chou, one of the paddlers, told The Straits Times in a phone interview from Basco yesterday.
He had been joined by fellow Singaporeans Sim Cher Huey, Carol Leung, Karen Chao, Ong Yong Hui, Amos Sim, David Cho and Khor Yong Kok; Australian Kathy Wong; Indonesian Umartono Bimo; and Malaysian Moira Khaw on the 10-day trip.
Mr Chan, 35, a documentary producer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the plan was to set off last Wednesday.
However, strong winds, choppy water, and 2m-high waves forced the group to wait three days.
At noon on Saturday, they moved off in three teams - two of four paddlers, and the last of three. Everyone was armed with a global positioning system tracking device, radio and mobile phones.
Mr Chan, who was in the first team, reached Basco six hours later, but the other two teams behind were less successful.
The second team of four encountered rough seas and were split up. Two returned to Sabtang Island and were later picked up by the coast guard. But as their radios could not work, they were unable to inform the rest they had gone back.
Trip organiser Mr Sim Cher Huey, 35, and Ms Khaw decided to row out to sea to search for their teammates, whom they assumed were carried out by the current.
Ironically, they lost contact with the other paddlers when their radios stopped working as well. And so began a frantic six hours during which the team on shore could do little except try and establish radio contact with the missing duo.
'I just kept radioing in as we waited. I even hitched a ride on a motorcycle to take me to the other part of the island to try to reach them,' said Mr Chan.
The missing duo finally reached Basco past midnight on Sunday.
Mr Chan said the team of experienced kayakers had taken every precaution and knew the risks before embarking.
Batanes, located at the northernmost part of the Philippines, is also called the 'home of the winds'. The province, which has four seasons, is known for its mercurial weather and typhoons.
According to Captain George Ursabia, district commander of the Coast Guard Northern Luzon, the 'amihan' monsoon season caused strong winds from the east to buffet the islands.
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