A GROUP of tourists were left with the terrifying decision of whether to stay on a burning boat – or jump into shark-infested waters.
The tourist boat was travelling around the Galapagos Islands when it caught fire in the middle of the night.
A video, taken by ABC7 journalist Lisa Bartley who was also on the trip, shows the ship cabin filling with smoke in the pitch black.
Lisa's friend, Dana, who was also on board, said: "Smoke filled the boat. They told us there was a fire in the engine room".
She added: "I didn't know if I was supposed to stay on board a burning boat or jump into the water with sharks."
As it filled with smoke, the video shows crew yelling instructions, with passengers telling each other to "hold their breath".
They then grabbed life jackets before the 16 tourists and 11 crew members leapt from the boat into the water.
However, as soon as they were in the water, another problem occurred as the two life boats didn't deploy.
They were then left to swim in the pitch black together for an hour.
The guide calmly told them to swim to the nearest island, saying: "Stick together and hold each others hands. We kick to the left."
The guide also name checked every passenger, before saying "relax, they're coming".
Thankfully, after an hour, they were able to inflate the boats and get everyone safely in.
After two and a half hours in the water, a ship answered their SOS call with everyone safely rescued.
The cause of the fire on the boat is currently being investigated, however the boat has since been repaired and is back in service.
Are there sharks at Galapagos Islands?
Common near the islands is the Galapagos shark.
According to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, they can grow up to 12ft.
They are also aggressive towards humans, known to attack fishermen and divers.
The islands are also one of the countries with the unprovoked shark attacks.
In 2017, a woman barely escaped after a 9ft Galapagos shark bit her leg, while a man was left bleeding after a 13ft shark latched onto his right leg while snorkelling at the islands.
Other sharks common in the area are the whale shark and the scalloped hammerhead shark who are not known to attack humans.
Earlier this year, a species of giant tortoise thought to have been extinct for over a century was spotted on the Galapagos Islands.
The famed islands haven't been left untouched by plastic pollution, sadly.
Last year, a photographer caught a group of sea lions playing with large pieces of plastic on the island.
Source: Read Full Article