The Blue Star hit a reef and sank in the Maldives. Photo: Instagram/Boris Romann
Early in the morning of April 18, surfers aboard the Blue Star Surf Charter vessel in the Maldives had a rude awakening. The boat hit a reef and was taking on water fast. Boris Romann, a French surfer who was aboard, turned his phone’s camera on and began recording as he packed up his gear.
“Personally,” he wrote on Instagram, “I think it was the most stressful experience I ever had to deal with, because most of us had our rooms under the ocean surface level so the water was coming in really fast. I had all my photography materials, my computer, Go Pro, disk drives, SD cards, phone, passport, clothes, bags, etc. to pack as fast as I could without knowing how long that fucking boat would stay at the surface.”
As it turned out, it wasn’t too long. As he was packing, a friend of Romann’s waded through the water-filled gangway, screaming at him to hurry up.
“The only things I heard after the impact was my mate @florentneyens screaming, ‘Boris hurry up! Get the fuck out from your room, quick!'” Romann continued. “But I had to pack my materials and with the stress, I wasn’t organized at all! I was shaking so much and all my moves had absolutely no senses.”
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The Blue Star was a beautiful vessel. Built in 1998, it was 32 meters in length. It had 10 double bedrooms, each with a bathroom. Air conditioning, big beds, a huge living room, plush sofas, WIFI, and a full kitchen. Moored in Male, the charter offered three meals a day, and all but guaranteed guests would have a trip of a lifetime.
Thankfully, all the crew and passengers aboard were able to escape unscathed. They lost a few things, of course, and the Blue Star sank to a watery grave, but everyone hopped in a tiny rescue boat, breathless and hearts pounding, but safe and likely grateful to be alive.
