The boat captain we were paired with was on the newer side. I believe his name was Duncan. He allowed me to drift way too far away from the boat, and I started having a panic attack. My husband and friends on the boat said that he should've dropped the anchor, because he was drifting from me and I was drifting from the boat. The winds were fairly strong and it took every ounce of energy I had to swim to the boat to grab the safety line. I made the mistake of not putting on a life jacket and not grabbing the safety line right away. Hew kept reassuring us guests on the boat that "you can't drown, you'll just float", so I didn't bother with the above safety measures. I drifted quite fast. I was screaming for help for 15 minutes. My friends and hubby said I was so far away they couldn't even hear me. I would lay back and float to keep from panicking, but every time I looked up I was further from the boat. When he finally put the motor on to come and get me, my friend had to remind him to turn off the motor because I was on the motor side of the boat and she was afraid I was going to get sucked in or have a limb severed. I was so exhausted from swimming against the winds that were pushing me away from the boat that I had no strength to get around the motor and nothing to grab onto. I finally was able to reach the safety line but it was on the opposite side of the ladder and I had to try to get around the motor to reach the ladder. I was totally wiped out. We ended up tipping him $10, but I was mad at myself for doing so, 'cause my husband and friends said that they were super concerned and worried about me, because he didn't seem to understand that I was in distress. They were confused as to why he allowed me to drift so far away and why he didn't drop the anchor so that me and the boat wouldn't drift more and more apart and why he didn't make an effort to come and get me. My hubby and friends had to tell him that he needed to go get me. I was really scared that I was going to drown, because I'm not a strong swimmer and I was losing strength trying to get back to the boat with water hitting me in the face and lapping over me while I was trying to stay calm by allowing myself to float waiting for him to bring the boat to me. Anyway, if I recommend this excursion to friends or family, I will tell them to be sure to wear a life vest or at the very least, grab onto the life line as soon as they enter the water. I do believe it was too windy to go out that day and that the boat captain should've either canceled the trip or required that guests either wear life vests or at the very least hold onto the safety line.
Відповідь від хоста
Aug 2024
I’m sorry you had such a traumatic experience with us. I did hear this story from my Captain Duncan along with another client who I had to partially refund on this tour due to them feeling very uncomfortable by all the screaming. This other client also said that Duncan did everything right getting you back to the boat but they were irritated that this took time out of their swimming.
Open water lakes can be intimidating for people so we always tell our guests to be near the throw rope so they can pull themselves in if they get nervous or if there are some winds out on the lake. Safety is our number one priority on the tours and we never want to put people in uncomfortable situations so we always monitor weather and have throw ropes on board. Plus the beauty of the great salt lake is that it is impossible to sink which is why people love coming on this tour.