‘Like Being Left at the Beach’: Stranded Snorkeller Accused of Attention Seeking

So this guy, Ian Cole, takes a snorkeling excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. After a while, he pops up, and the boat’s gone. He panics but is able to keep his wits about him. Thankfully, there was another boat in the distance. He swam about 15 minutes to reach it. He asked about his boat, and the crew said, “Oh it left.” Great. He hitches a ride with that boat and arrives on shore pretty freaked out and pissed.

Of course, he wants an apology and assurance that this won’t happen to anyone else. The Passions of Paradise tour operators had Col McKenzie,the worst spokesman ever, represent them.

“I’m quite stunned this happened. This is one of our flagship operators and they have a perfect record. They have recently been audited and passed with flying colours. It was reported to Work Place Health and Safety; to Marine Safety Queensland and a diving inspector. They did all the right things. This was nothing more than a single breach by one staff member not following the rules. He was trained and passed all the tests, he just didn’t do what he should have. That’s all. He has paid the price and lost his job. The fact that this guy [Ian Cole] talked about this shows that he’s just seeking self-exposure, and wants to be portrayed as a hero, you know, a survivor. There’s no lesson to be learnt from this. He is just making a mountain out of a molehill, and trying to maximize his own self-exposure. It’s just bullshit. He was never in any danger. It was just like being left behind on a beach. I mean, his demands were unreasonable. He wanted a written apology. I think his requests were morally reprehensible.”

Just WOW. The guy could have drowned. Being in that industry, he should have remembered the couple who was left behind while on a dive trip there. Tom and Eileen Lonergan were never found.

You know, I love the ocean. I’m not a strong swimmer, though. I don’t think I would have been able to swim that 15 minutes to the boat. Wave bye bye. I’m going under. These tour operators were lucky it was Ian Cole who was left and not someone like me. They’d have a nightmare on their hands.

A written apology was the least they can do. He got his apology letter, a refund, and a $200 restaurant voucher. He’s going to give it away. Yeah, he should just cut his losses. Screw the surf & turf, and go back home to Michigan. He can put this nightmare experience behind him.

Message to Compassionate Col: So he should have just sucked it up and said nothing? What if the boat wasn’t there for him to swim to? How long would he have to wait for help? Until his family calls wondering where he is? Would he have lasted that long? There is a difference between being left on a beach and in the middle of the ocean. It’s called L-A-N-D. You know what I find morally reprehensible? Someone who uses the chance to issue an apology to bash the victim of a situation that could have ended tragically. Since you can’t find an ounce of the milk of human kindness in yourself, find some PR courses, mate.