Typhoon in the Lagoon

Summary

Real Survival Stories – Typhoon in the Lagoon

Podcast: Real Survival Stories
Host: John Hopkins
Episode Date: November 27, 2025

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode tells the harrowing true account of Tom Booth, a British cruise director and expert diver, who endured Typhoon Mesak in 2015 while aboard a small tourist yacht in Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia. What began as a tranquil cruise-changeover day turned catastrophic as an unexpected typhoon descended. Tom, his crewmates, and their captain were thrust into a desperate battle against the storm, the sea, and, ultimately, looters. Their survival depended on quick thinking, teamwork, and no small amount of luck.

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Major Discussion Points & Key Events

Setting the Scene: Chuuk Lagoon and Tom Booth's Background

• Idyllic Beginnings: Tom describes Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon as "a diver's dream destination... a tropical lagoon in diveable depths with a huge amount of wartime wrecks" (07:35).
• Tom’s Journey to the Sea: Grew up in West Yorkshire, UK. Trained as a diver from age 15. After college, chased adventure via outdoor leadership, martial arts training in Thailand, and dive instruction across Asia and Scotland (08:14–09:45).

The Final Calm: Crew Life and Storm Warning

• Routine Day: Crew is relaxed, prepping the yacht for new guests (11:07).
• First Alarm: News of an approaching storm. Initially described as a "tropical depression"—not immediately alarming to Tom, who’s experienced tough conditions elsewhere (11:47).
• Precautions: Captain Deng moves the yacht for protection; Tom relishes the sense of danger and adventure, admitting, “The thought of being in a weather event did excite me” (12:45).

The Typhoon Strikes

• Morning Tension: By early next day, the wind and rain intensify. The yacht, like others, seeks shelter behind the largest island, Weno (14:52).
• False Sense of Safety: A sudden, eerie calm settles as they enter the typhoon's eye; Tom briefly feels disappointed the storm didn't amount to more—until he learns the true danger is about to return from the opposite direction (17:55–18:59).
  • Quote: “We were pretty much in the eye of the storm. The wind's going to change 180 degrees and come a lot stronger.” – Tom Booth (18:59)
• Mad Dash for Shelter: Scramble to reposition as the wind swings; “It was serious again, and we needed to act” (19:57).

Battle with the Elements

• Engulfed: The wall of the typhoon hits. Visibility disappears, and the yacht is overwhelmed ("a wall of rain and wind hit straight on the bow and the ship juddered. It was a shock." – Tom Booth, 20:32).
• Chaos and Havoc: The crew nearly collides with another vessel—and nearly capsizes—before narrowly avoiding disaster (22:12).
• Desperation: Housekeeping staff are washed across the deck; Tom holds onto a steel support and rescues a crew member by her life jacket (24:44).

The Yacht in Peril

• Mechanical Crisis: The yacht is turned broadside to the wind, flooded, and unable to maneuver. A capsized skiff drags behind them like a sea anchor. Tom, in a wetsuit, uses his dive knife to free the yacht (26:04).
  • Quote: “Just touched my knife to this rope. And the tension in the line, it just parted and snapped... As soon as that went, we felt the vessel turning” – Tom Booth (26:04).
• Adrenaline and Fear: Tom describes his body response, recalling “my knees were doing their knocking trick” (27:14). The crew is terrified—one turns to prayer (27:35).
• Electrical Hazards: Water and chaos make the rigging a live wire, sending electric shocks through the steel frame (28:52).

Catastrophe Hits—Overboard and Overwhelmed

• Close Encounters: Narrowly miss colliding with a large fishing vessel (29:37).
• The Reef: The propeller grinds into coral; the yacht lists nearly horizontally (30:39).
  • Quote: “The propeller sort of bouncing along...the ship started really keeling over.” – Tom Booth (30:39)
• Crew Overboard: Four crewmates are washed out; Tom’s attempt to deploy a life raft fails as the wind snatches it away (31:20–31:36).
• Immediate Triage: Focused on those still aboard, Tom tries to keep non-swimmers and the incapacitated captain safe (32:02).

Disaster Deepens

• Structural Failure: The canvas canopy and steel cables are ripped away with deadly force. The captain, struck by a flailing stay, is knocked unconscious (32:51–34:11).
• Leadership Under Pressure: “There were things to do, there were people to help” – Tom Booth (34:51)
• Improvised Shelter: The remaining crew cram into a small shower room, wedging the captain in for safety, heads kept above water (35:28).

Survival Instincts and Waiting Out the Storm

• Desperate Communications: Tom fires a flare and yells out a Mayday, but knows no help is coming: "The whole of the island had just been devastated by a typhoon" (35:52).
• Relief as Storm Subsides: Eventually, the rain abates and Tom spots mangroves—land and potential salvation (37:04).

The Second Threat—Looters

• False Hope: Locals appear, but instead of rescue, they come to claim the wreck: “I realized...they weren’t coming to help us. They’d struck gold” (38:08).
• Forced to Abandon Ship: Tom grabs crew passports and the logbook. Efforts to resist the looters are futile ("There was no point in endangering people, trying to protect something that essentially wasn't ours." – 39:24).
• Crew Disembarks: A tense, but ultimately nonviolent, escape down the rope ladder with the crew supporting the concussed captain (39:51).

Long Journey to Safety

• Coral March: The survivors slog through chest-deep water and sharp coral to the shore, suffering cuts and exhaustion (40:08).
• Kindness at Last: Locals, themselves devastated by the typhoon, guide the battered crew through the mangroves to a local resort (41:29).
  • Quote: “As we stepped ashore...it became really clear what the typhoon had done to the island. There were trees, substantial, strong tropical trees which had been blown over...” – Tom Booth (41:29)
• Reunion: Miraculously, those washed overboard are safe, having been rescued earlier and awaiting Tom’s group at the resort (42:20).

Immediate Aftermath and Reflection

• Crew Reunited: Tearful, emotional reunion as the trauma starts to process (42:32–42:48).
• Relief and Celebration: Previous trip guests share what they have; the crew, despite having lost everything, are elated to have survived and even celebrate (43:03–43:35).
  • Quote: “We were elated, we were chuffed. We'd survived, we'd been through a real adventure together. And then we had a two day party afterwards." – Tom Booth (43:35)
• Return to the Wreck: Later, Tom inspects the looted and finally burned-out yacht—but holds no grudge: “The people...had their whole lives wrecked...They’d taken from us, but they’d lost a lot more than we had.” (44:11)
• End of a Chapter: An undiagnosed hernia brings a pause to Tom’s diving career, forcing a return to the UK and prompting a new focus on safety and supervision in diving (45:03–46:03).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Facing Nature’s Fury:
  • “I’d experienced rough weather at sea, but nothing compared to what we experienced in Truck. The strength of the wind and being soaking wet is chilling and I was knackered. I was exhausted.” – Tom Booth (01:52)
• Leadership in Crisis:
  • “Earlier when I was completely out of control, the only person who could help us was the captain. I was just stood as a passenger. But at that point, there were things to do, there were people to help.” – Tom Booth (05:58)
• Lessons Learned:
  • “A lot more could have gone wrong that day in Truck. I think having that experience and knowing that things can go wrong very quickly makes you prepare.” – Tom Booth (45:28)
• Survival Mindset:
  • “We're lucky. Captain did his absolute utmost to keep us safe as long as possible... What kept us safe? Luck, mate. I think.” – Tom Booth (46:44)
• Emotional Release:
  • “We hugged our colleagues. Two crew members absolute in hysterics. They broke down. I think they've been holding it together really well all day.” – Tom Booth (42:48)

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Key Timestamps

• 07:35 – 09:45: Tom describes his background, wanderlust, and eventual posting in Chuuk Lagoon
• 14:52 – 16:54: First signs of the storm, preparations, and anxiety on board
• 17:55 – 19:57: Realization they are in the eye of the typhoon, frantic scramble to move the yacht
• 20:32 – 22:12: Storm returns, chaos on deck, near-miss with another vessel
• 24:44 – 27:35: Water sweeps crew, desperate actions, and emotional responses
• 30:39 – 32:23: Yacht grinds along the reef, crew overboard, failed life raft deployment
• 32:51 – 34:51: Canopy tears loose, captain incapacitated, Tom’s sense of duty
• 35:28 – 36:15: Crew sheltering in the shower room, Mayday and flare
• 38:08 – 39:51: Looters arrive, the crew forced to abandon ship
• 41:29 – 42:32: Wading to shore, rescued by helpful locals, joyful reunion with overboard crew
• 45:28 – 46:44: Reflections on safety, luck, and the future

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Structure & Tone

The episode is immersive, vividly narrated in a calm but suspenseful style by John Hopkins. Tom Booth’s voice is often stoic, sometimes wry, and always matter-of-fact about danger and leadership under pressure. The show maintains a respectful, serious tone while allowing emotional moments and understated humor to shine through Tom’s recollections.

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Summary Takeaways

• Typhoon in the Lagoon is a powerful reminder of the unpredictability and majesty of nature, the importance of teamwork and presence of mind, and the thin line between adventure and catastrophe.
• Tom Booth’s experience led to deep changes in his approach to risk and safety—proof that surviving disaster leaves lessons that last a lifetime.
• Despite the violence of the storm and the subsequent loss, the enduring emotion is gratitude—for survival and for those who endured it together.

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For listeners or readers wanting to witness the raw edge of human resilience and leadership in a life-or-death crisis, this is essential listening.

Transcript

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's afternoon on March 29, 2015 in the Central Pacific Ocean. On any normal day, the atoll known as the Chuuk La Lagoon is a glorious sight. A collection of small, beautiful islands blessed with lush, verdant plant life and golden beaches, all surrounded by vivid blue skies and sparkling seas that stretch further than the eye can see. Today, however, Chuuk Lagoon is the scene of diabolical chaos. A storm is raging. Typhoon Mesak. Out at sea, vessels of all description are being thrown around by screaming 100 mile per hour winds. Rain pounds down as though in solid blocks. Aboard one of those vessels, clinging onto a steel railing with all his might, is Tom Booth, 28 year old cruise director of a tourist yacht. An expert diver, Tom is used to life out on the ocean, but he's never known anything like this.

[Tom Booth]

I'd experience rough weather at sea, but nothing compared to what we experienced in truck. The strength of the wind and being soaking wet is chilling and I was knackered. I was exhausted.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Careening around the lagoon, the yacht is battered by the elements. Great waves wash over the deck, smashing through windows and doors. And then from the depths of the hull, an ungodly noise rises as the propeller grinds into a giant mass of coral. Hidden beneath the waves, the yacht judders and lurches alarmingly to one side, teetering almost horizontally over the sea. Tom loses his footing, collides with a table and sees four crewmates tumble into the water. For those left on board, it's a horrifying sight. But there's nothing they can do. They can't go in after them. They just have to try to stay alive themselves.

[Tom Booth]

I was concerned, but they then felt outside of the environment, if that makes sense. There were still crew members on board. You are absolutely terrified.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The yacht crunches and clatters over the reef. Sharp underwater tendrils gnaw into the belly of the boat. All the while the brutal wind pulls relentlessly on the vessel's hardware. Soon the giant steel cables that tether the mast to the deck are ripped from their fixings. Tom watches in horror as one of the flailing cables whips the yacht captain around the head, knocking him to the floor. The captain doesn't move. An awful situation has become even more grave. Here they are on the open sea, assailed by a typhoon from above and coral reef from below. The yacht is falling to pieces and the captain is lying lifeless on the deck.

[Tom Booth]

I remember seeing it happening and he just went out cold. He hit the deck face down. The water running across the deck. It was about 2, 3ft deep. And yeah, face down in the water, the boat was still moving violently. I didn't know if he was dead. I was scared.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode we meet Tom Booth, a young man who roams far from his native England to discover dazzling tropical beauty above sea and below. In 2015, Tom is working as a cruise director on board a yacht in Micronesia, guiding divers down to spectacular naval ruins at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. But when a typhoon blows in, he and his crewmates become vulnerable to the devastating power of nature. Their vessel is never far from land. At times they're close enough to jump ship and paddle to the shore, in theory at least. But the typhoon flips their world upside down, trapping them in constant peril. This fearsome storm looks certain to condemn every last one of them to the bottom of the ocean.

[Tom Booth]

We didn't expect a full blown typhoon. The waves, the sudden onslaught of the wind and the rain, There's a complete disappearance of visibility. At that point, I think all control was lost to the vessel.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Threat comes from all angles. From the swirling tempest, from the malfunctioning yacht, and even later from other people. With the captain incapacitated, Tom is going to have to step up to help himself and his crew.

[Tom Booth]

Earlier when I was completely out of control, the only person who could help us was the captain. I was just stood as a passenger. But at that point, there were things to do, there were people to help.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories. It's 9am on March 28, 2015. A beautiful day on the Pacific island of Ouina, part of the Chuuk Lagoon. An Atoll within the Federated States of Micronesia. We know this morning is the image of a tropical paradise. The shining sun dazzles in a clear cobalt blue sky. The mountains are thick with verdant vegetation. The lagoon water is an inviting turquoise. At the port, the day is well underway. On the deck of a tourist yacht, Tom Booth sits at his laptop busying himself with admin before the next party of guests arrive. As a cruise director and diving expedition leader, he's seen some of the world's most stunning locations. But for Tom, Chuuk Lagoon, or Truk Lagoon as some refer to it, has a particular allure.

[Tom Booth]

Truk is a diver's dream destination. Basically there's a tropical lagoon in divable depths with a huge amount of wartime wrecks. The ships are still full of tanks. In the holds is aeroplanes, ammunition, beach mines. And the vessels themselves have got really interesting history. So. So yeah, if you're interested in wrecks then Truck Lagoon is probably the premier destination in the world.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's all a very long way from home. Growing up in northern England, Tom was more accustomed to industrial cities and slate gray skies than coral reef and swaying palm trees.

[Tom Booth]

I grew up in West Yorkshire. My interest as a diver started when I was about 15 when my dad, who's a qualified diver, took me diving in a river in North Yorkshire. It was fantastic.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

After earning qualifications in canoeing, climbing and mountaineering, Tom found himself looking for adventure.

[Tom Booth]

Just a wanderlust really. I left college, I did a two year qualification in outdoor leadership and then left without a job and immediately found myself working in a foundry where we're rolling nickel alloys, which was great, it was a good laugh. But seeing my colleagues who were nearing retirement, counting down the days with bad backs didn't make me want to wish the next 30 years to disappear.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

At first Tom went to France where he taught canoeing. Next he headed much further east to Thailand where he could pursue another passion.

[Tom Booth]

I was a martial artist. So I moved to Thailand in 2009. I was doing some training and some competing out there and needed a way to make money. So I borrowed some cash and did a professional dive instructors qualification and started teaching diving in Thailand in Phuket.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Skip forward five years and Tom returned to the uk, still diving, yet this time for aquaculture projects in an environment that could barely be further from the sun kissed shores of the Pacific.

[Tom Booth]

In the winter of 2014, I was being lifted out of a salmon pen covered in the remains of dead fish with snow blowing into my face, my fingers cold and when I got back to my digs. That night, there was an email from my old employee asking me to help to set up the region in truck Lagoon. So I jumped at the opportunity. Thoughts going back to the tropics and not being in freezing blizzards in north of Scotland was very appealing. So I packed my bags and, yeah, set off to truck.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Today. On this March morning in 2015, the Chuk Lagoon is at its beautiful best. As Tom checks his emails on the deck of the yacht, the rest of the crew busy themselves elsewhere on the vessel. In total, there are 14 staff on board, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia. In addition to Tom, there are housekeeping staff, a chef, an engineer, and Deng, the ship's captain, a native of Indonesia and a vastly experienced sailor in these waters. Today is a changeover day. A chance to do paperwork, restock supplies, perform maintenance, prepare the yacht for the next batch of guests, and gossip about the ones who have just departed. Spirits among the crew are high. Life is good.

[Tom Booth]

Just a very relaxed trip. The crew were happy, the guests had left, happy. There was no major maintenance work to do, so it was a really nice changeover day. We'd gone into the port itself, so crew were free to leave and get back on the vessel and do the shopping and things like that. And yeah, I was just steadily doing my accounts and relaxing.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Preparation for the new arrivals is well underway when a crew member from a nearby yacht relays some news. An almighty storm has been forecast in the area for the following day. No question this is a serious development, but Tom isn't prone to panic.

[Tom Booth]

As I recall, we were told it was a tropical depression, which I understood meant bad weather. I don't think it was common for typhoons to develop. Specifically where we were. I've been involved in some heavy weather events in the Maldives. We ran a diving region there, and the company kept us going right through the southwest monsoons. I experienced bad weather before and wasn't terrified.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Others are less sanguine. Tom looks on as the yacht's engineer takes it upon himself to secure objects that aren't bolted to the deck floor. That afternoon, Captain Deng repositions the vessel to a spot that he thinks will offer better protection for the forecasted storm. As he heads to his bunk on the yacht later that evening, Tom's mood remains good. Inclement weather is all part of the job. In fact, a gathering storm just makes things more interesting.

[Tom Booth]

I like excitement. There is danger there, so it does sharpen the senses. And thought of being in a weather event did excite me.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Morning arrives as usual, Tom is up early. Ordinarily, he likes to take advantage of the quiet to prep for the day ahead before crew and guests surface. Not today. From his cabin he can hear activity above. The main engine is already running. Rain is falling and the wind is now blowing hard. The yacht is fairly still. With so many vessels sheltering in the port, there's not enough open water to allow large waves to form, but the strength of the wind is undeniable. As Tom clambers above deck, he looks up and sees the gusts pushing and pulling the mass of rigging that towers overhead.

[Tom Booth]

In the morning. Yeah, there was a high of activity and people were on edge and the boat was rocking. There was already strong winds. We were anchored behind a protective reef, so the island of Ueno is, which is the biggest island in the lagoon offered the best protection. So our vessel, plus I believe another six vessels were anchored in the same location to get that protection from those northeasterly winds that we were experiencing.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The deck is all movement, all action. The nervy crew buzz around. Tom and his yacht mates set about securing and reinforcing whatever they can, but especially everything that's attached to the huge canvas topped canopy that hovers over the rear of the vessel. As morning progresses, the wind only gets stronger. The yacht begins to hobby horse, pitching forward and backwards like a seesaw. The bow dips in and out of the water under the strain of the increasingly hostile conditions. Little by little, the anchor is dragged from its spot on the sea floor. The yacht is visibly moving. The captain makes a decisive call he announces he is going to raise the anchor, move to a more sheltered spot and drop anchor again. Drenched to the bone in the unrelenting downpour, Tom scurries to the prow to help raise the anchor. Captain Deng now relocates the yacht, guiding it through the bouncing, frothing swell before settling on a new spot. Fingers crossed, the anchor will wedge itself in more tightly in this new location, Tom now takes the opportunity to swap his sodden shorts and T shirt for something more weather appropriate. A wetsuit.

[Tom Booth]

It was bad weather, it was low visibility, there was rain and the wind was gaining strength. I'd have to estimate, but I'd say around 50 knots of wind. In gusts.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

50 knots equates to roughly 60 mph, a strong gale force wind. Despite this, Tom remains his usual composed self, but with the gift of hindsight. The worsening conditions should have been the signal for most of those on board to get as far away as possible.

[Tom Booth]

100%. I'd think if I was to be faced with a similar situation again, we'd have got the non essential personnel off the vessel. It was an ordeal they didn't need to go through and probably, myself included, didn't need to be on a vessel that day. The core ship's crew, the deckhands, the captain engineer would have been adequate, but naively, the whole crew stayed on the vessel.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

But then, quite suddenly, it seems as though the storm might be passing them by. As though mechanically powered, the wind and rain stop dead. The tempest that just seconds earlier was fermenting all around them disappears without a trace.

[Tom Booth]

It was serene actually. All of a sudden the wind stopped and the water was glass calm. I think I was a little bit disappointed. I thought that was the worst of it. I was expecting something a bit more than that. But there was relief as well. It was back to life. You know, the flight will be rescheduled. We'll get the guests in early and they'll have a good half holiday.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Miraculously, the Chuk Lagoon has been spared, or so it seems. In the unexpected quiet, the ship's mobile phone chirps into life. On the other end of the line is a crew member from a neighboring yacht. It's bad news. Their weather information tells them something deeply unnerving. The danger hasn't passed them by. In fact, they are all slap bang in the eye of the storm. The bad weather is circling them like a predator circling prey. And pretty soon it'll be coming back with a vengeance. From the opposite direction, he saw that.

[Tom Booth]

There was actually a typhoon developing There and then. And we were pretty much in the eye of the storm. And his instructions were, the wind's going to change 180 degrees and come a lot stronger.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Despite his wealth of experience, this is a first for Tom. He's never encountered a typhoon before, a type of storm characterized by its powerful swirling winds and torrential rain. A typhoon, as it's called in the Pacific region, is essentially the same thing that is known in other parts of the world as a hurricane. Tom and the crew are now in the path of Typhoon Masak, and being in the path of one of these beasts while at sea is about as dangerous as it gets. Plus, if the gales are going to come back from a different direction, it means the spot they've just moved to is no longer a safe haven. They need to take advantage of this lull and move as quickly as possible to somewhere else that offers greater protection.

[Tom Booth]

So at that point, it was a mad scramble. We got out on deck. The intention was to raise the anchors, turn around 180 degrees and move behind the island that's opposite Weno, which would then give us protection from a southwesterly. It was serious again, and we needed to act.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The anchor is lifted again. With the motor roaring, Captain Deng pushes the yacht across the lagoon. It's a race against time to beat Typhoon Mesak as it swirls back around. But it's a race that can't be won.

[Tom Booth]

Looking out over the bow, we could see the island, and then it disappeared. Anybody who's familiar with a squall, it's like a wall of rain that comes in, and I've seen them before, but this was very dramatic. It crossed the island, the trees disappeared, the beach disappeared, and then very quickly, a few kilometers of ocean ahead of us started disappearing as well, until all of a sudden, that wall of rain and wind hit straight on the bow and the ship juddered. It was a shock.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In the blink of an eye, the yacht and its crew are plunged into the frenzy of the typhoon. Sea mist and thick rain close in all around until they consume the vessel, rendering visibility next to zero. There are islands all around them. Land is almost cruelly close, but nothing can be spied in the darkness of the storm. The surface of the sea pulses and heaves, and the immense gales toy with the yacht, forcing it to tip and spin urgently. A crew member grabs life jackets and hands them out. Despite the filthy conditions, Tom is reluctant to take one.

[Tom Booth]

I did take a life jacket, but at first I thought it was more of a hindrance than an aid. I'm very comfortable in the water. I'm a good swimmer. But he certainly did the right thing. I was very naive.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The threat of capsizing or falling overboard has become very real. At one point, the tiniest chink appears in the wall of gray. Tom squints through the gap. The sight confronting him is not at all welcome.

[Tom Booth]

We had our nose into the wind. We're still heading towards what we hoped was protection of the island, but we had no visibility. All of a sudden the visibility opened up and directly ahead of us was another vessel. The captain saw it and had to go hard over starboard. And immediately we felt that wind smash into the boat and really keel us over. There were six other moored vessels and it was Blind Man's Buff, where everyone had blindfold on. And Doug.

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[Tom Booth]

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[Tom Booth]

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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[Tom Booth]

They see us.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's afternoon on March 29, 2015, and a typhoon is causing havoc in Chuuk Lagoon in the Pacific Ocean. On board a tourist yacht, Tom Booth watches in horror as his vessel veers perilously close to another ship also struggling in the watery chaos. Tom's captain turns the wheel hard. Unable to properly see the nearby boat. He is relying on years of honed instinct to avoid a potentially fatal accident. The yacht turns sharply starboard. A wave crashes down on the deck. Several of Tom's colleagues, the housekeeping staff, are literally swept off their feet. Bodies slide across the deck. Screams of panic dissipate into the cacophony of the storm.

[Tom Booth]

I was holding on to a steel support from the rear canopy, and a crew member immediately got washed off her feet. Had to grab her by a life jacket and pull her in and get her to hold onto the support as well.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Captain Deng has successfully averted a collision with the other boat. But this has created a different problem. In order to prevent the crash, the captain has had to change the direction of the yacht. Instead of facing directly into the storm, the craft now has the wind pummeling it from the side. Water continues to pour in, flooding the spaces below deck. It's imperative to turn the yacht's bow back into the wind, to face it head on and regain some semblance of balance. The captain steers hard and pushes the throttle to its limit. Thick black smoke bellows. Yet no matter how hard he tries, he cannot get the boat to turn. Tom looks around, hoping to find some way of helping. On the starboard side, he notices that one of the skiffs, a small auxiliary vessel that is attached by a rope to the side of the yacht, has been flipped right over in the wind. It's now dragging in the water behind the yacht like a ball and chain, preventing them from moving freely.

[Tom Booth]

I could see out behind us, and the waves had actually capsized that vessel, and it was just a big sea anchor. So I'd actually put a wetsuit on earlier in the day. And in the pocket I keep a dive knife. So I pulled that dive knife out. I remember quite clearly. I just touched. Felt like touched my knife to this rope. And the tension in the line, it just parted and snapped with quite an incredible force. And as soon as that went, we felt the vessel turning and captain managed to get the bow back into the waves.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Disaster has been averted. Facing the right way once more, the yacht has a fighting chance against the pitiless wind. Though it doesn't feel like it, Captain Deng's heroics at the wheel can't prevent the craft from being tossed and battered on the sea. In the adrenalized mayhem. With hardly any visibility and no reference points beyond the boat, it's impossible to tell how much time is passing. But at some point, Tom experiences something deeply unusual, an incongruous reminder of his time as a competitive martial artist.

[Tom Booth]

I fought in front of large crowds of people and my knees shake. I don't know if it's nerves or fear, but as we're being smashed through this way, the bow of the vessel's back into the waves, and I'm hanging on on this steel upright, and at that point, my knees were doing their knocking trick.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Naturally enough, it's not just Tom who's feeling scared.

[Tom Booth]

There was a cry next to me, and the chef was a devout Christian, I found out, and he dropped to his knees and started like an evangelical preacher. Screaming out, jesus, I come to you in heaven, and all sorts of things. And looking over it and seeing the fear on his face actually straightened me out and I got my senses back again at that point.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The frenzy continues on and on. After a while, the toll on the yacht begins to show. On board are three electric generators, vital to power specialist kit like dive compressors, as well as basic necessities such as lighting. And there are electric light lights studded all the way around the steel frame of the large canopy at the back of the vessel, the one that's covered by a canvas awning and which offers the crew at least some protection from the elements. As the yacht bucks on the waves, Tom reaches out a hand to steady himself. His palm grabs at the steel frame of the canopy and he receives a sharp, painful jolt. He yelps and pulls away. Not an inch of this boat is free from danger.

[Tom Booth]

Some of these electrical cables must have parted slightly. I'm not an electrician, but there was electricity going through this steel frame. Every time I touched certain parts of it, I was getting electric shocks. I'd stagger into something, put my hand out to steady myself, and then recoil once I got an electric jolt.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

And in the storm, there is no way of telling whether the yacht is charging across the lagoon or floating in place. At a certain point, the outside world reappears once again. Tom catches sight of another vessel, a hulking monster this time, a large fishing ship weighed down at anchor. With the fate of everybody on board in his hands, the captain does what he can.

[Tom Booth]

The only evasive action the captain could take was slam the vessel into reverse. To this day, I don't know if we hit that vessel. Obviously, the visibility was on and off and the violence of the wind. I didn't know if there was a collision or not.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

There's a series of violent bumps and bounces, but the yacht remains the right way up on the waves, though no sooner is that obstacle navigated than another crops up, Foaming white surf breaking only two boat lengths away, Unmistakably unmistakable evidence of coral reef. The captain leans into the wheel once more. He guides the yacht around the hazard that threatens to damage the hull. But the wind is so strong it shoves the vessel off course. As the gales thump the starboard side of the yacht, Captain Deng struggles to maintain control. A deluge of water hits the deck, now taking down doors and windows. As Tom grips the nearest available surface, the bottom of the yacht clatters into the reef.

[Tom Booth]

At that point, above the judders and the shudders from the wind. There was another bumping, scraping noise. I seem to remember the propeller sort of bouncing along, scraping on the coral reef. So as we hit that, we're against the movable object on the seabed and the wind still forcing us from starboard and the ship started really keeling over.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Caught between the reef and the wind, the boat lists ever further on its side. Eventually it rocks its way over the obstacle and smacks back down onto the water. Tom clings to a table that keeps him out of the deep. Others aren't so fortunate.

[Tom Booth]

Four crew members went overboard. I'm not sure why. I don't know if they jumped or someone fell and others went to save them, but they, they went over.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Stunned, Tom attempts to deploy a life raft. Yet in the conditions, it proves impossible.

[Tom Booth]

There's a mechanism to set off the inflatable life raft. I pulled that and before it even inflated, the strength of the wind had caught it and it was like a kite. It ripped the rope straight out my hand and this life raft just snapped its tether and was never seen again.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Four crewmates have disappeared into the sea and there's now no way to bring them back. But from Tom's perspective, there's too much at stake to dwell on this.

[Tom Booth]

Now, I was concerned, but there were still crew members on board, one of which was a non swimmer, Captain Deng. He saw the members go overboard and they're his crew, so that obviously had an effect on him. But they then fell outside of the environment, if that makes sense. They were out of the situation then as far as Ike was concerned.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In no time, the yacht crunches into the reef again and the vessel is stuck in place once more. Rocking violently prone on the coral typhoon, Mesak does its worst. And now another concern takes shape. What might happen should the wind get beneath the large canvas stretched across the back of the yacht? Suddenly, the crew find out the fear.

[Tom Booth]

Of wind getting underneath this canopy and ripping the whole thing off was real. And as the wind pushes against the reef and the boat listed over, eventually it did. It was like an umbrella in a, in a very strong wind ripped this canopy and the handrail that was attached to it off the stern of the vessel. I was amazed that it hadn't struck anyone. And, yeah, it just killed someone immediately if that had hit them or seriously injured them.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Canopy flies off, leaving the remaining crew with no protection. Several hundred kilos worth of metal scatters across the sea. This includes the fixings for the stays, the thick metal cables that run from mast to deck. Now, as the yacht rocks this way and that. Up against the reef, the stays flail in the wind, whipping with ferocity across the deck. At the helm, Captain Deng is in imminent danger of serious injury. He tries to scurry to safety, but slips on the sodden floor. As he rises, a stay hits him full in the face. He's knocked instantly unconscious. Tom tries to reach him. He crawls on his belly to where the skipper is lying face down in a deep pool of water.

[Tom Booth]

I remember seeing it happening and he just went out cold. And all I could do from that time was turn him over, so at least his nose and his mouth were underwater. Dragged his limp body down three stairs, down to the port side, where we're offered a little bit of protection out of reach of these steel cables.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Without a captain, the yacht and all its crew are. Are entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature. Rather than sit and await his fate, Tom tries whatever he can to try to keep some sense of control. In a strange way, the desperation of the situation helps him to focus.

[Tom Booth]

I was scared, but I don't remember the fear of death. I think earlier, when I had my moment of knocking knees, was probably the most scared of being all day. But at that point, there were things to do. There were people to help.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

The most immediate need of everyone on board is to escape the reach of the swinging steel cables, as well as the wind and the water that is still swamping the deck. Options for a possible safe haven are limited. On the port side of the yacht is a small shower room. It's certainly not designed to accommodate 10 people, but in present circumstances, it will have to do.

[Tom Booth]

I identified that as a place of relative safety, so left the captain in there wedged against the toilet, crawled back up onto the stern of the vessel and encouraged the rest of the crew to come down. I got the engineer to hold the captain's head in his hands and keep his face out of the water.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

With the crew now huddled together, Tom darts around the yacht looking for something, anything, to do that might prove useful.

[Tom Booth]

I'm a lot calmer when there's something to do with, and making myself busy was good for me. Got a handheld radio and naively put out a May Day, not knowing that the whole of the island had just been devastated by a typhoon, so there was no one could answer that. I set off a flare just to make myself busy, but didn't really expect anyone to come and help us.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

We find Vecna, we end this once.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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[Tom Booth]

Everyone in.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

He knows where we are. Watch out. Get ready for one last adventure.

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

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[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

After several hours, the wind begins to drop, though still drumming down. The rain also eases a little, just enough to afford Tom a glimpse of something in the distance. Mercifully, it's not another vessel steaming into them. It's a cluster of mangroves, a sure sign that the yacht is close to a shore. Salvation is near and yet still tantalizingly far away. Through the rain, it's impossible to judge the exact distance to the mangroves. Perhaps he could dive into the water and swim to them. But that would mean leaving others behind. The captain is incapacitated, and several crew members can't swim. After a while, Tom notices movement among the mangroves. For a moment, his heart soars. A rescue party is on its way. That's how it looks. At least until the long, lethal blades of their machetes come into focus.

[Tom Booth]

People started coming out the mangroves, and I immediately thought they were coming to Alphas. And then there were these whoops. They were very happy about something. And very quickly I realized that they weren't coming to help us. They'd struck gold.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

These are not rescuers. They're looters. After hours battling the elements, a new danger is bolting from the bushes.

[Tom Booth]

I don't know if it's the law in that region. It's certainly custom that anything that lands on the bit of reef that you own belongs to you. And yeah, whoever on that bit bit of reef and just received a million and a half dollars worth of yacht. So I think they were quite pleased. And then they made their way out to the ship.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Tom races beneath deck, grabbing essentials that he needs to protect his logbook, the crew's passports, and the contents of the safe. As he returns to the deck, he sees the looters wading through the water, gathering around a rope ladder hanging from the side of the boat. One of the looters begins to climb. With adrenaline coursing through him. Tom attempts to ward them off. Screaming at the top of his voice. The looters hesitate, but only for a moment.

[Tom Booth]

It was completely futile. We were in a sorry state and there were loads of them and no interest in having a fight. There was no point in endangering people, trying to protect something that essentially wasn't ours.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Tom beckons the others to join him. One by one, the crew nervously descend the rope ladder. The atmosphere is febrile, but the looters let them pass.

[Tom Booth]

I don't think they really had any violent intentions towards us. They just wanted the boat and yeah, I did not want the boat. So we climbed down. We had to half carry Captain down because he was in a really poor state. He had regained consciousness, but he wasn't coherent.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Groggy and unsteady on his feet, Captain Deng leans on his crew members for support. Ahead of them now is a kilometer long trudge along the coral reef. The water laps at their chests. Progress is slow, slippery, often painful. They wade through the lapping waves over rocks and sharp coral. Eventually they make it to the mangroves and on to Ouino Island. Once ashore, they're greeted by locals, not looters this time, but kindly people who, despite having endured the ferocity of the typhoon themselves, are eager to help this band of lost souls emerging from the sea. To Tom's relief, some of the people speak English. They offer to guide the survivors through the jungle to a local tourist resort. The next leg of the journey to safety begins. The effects of Typhoon Mesak are all around them. Broken trees and homes reduced to nothing. Five people have lost their lives on these islands. Thousands have been made homeless and crops have been ruined. Rarely has the Chuuk Lagoon experienced such destructive weather.

[Tom Booth]

We had no idea where we were on the island. But as we stepped ashore and sort of made our way through the mangroves, it became really clear what the typhoon had done to the island. There was trees, substantial, strong tropical trees which had been blown over. There was a group of guys there who were locals who spoke English and those guys, they actually took us back to the path and started taking us to one of the resorts in Ireland. There's trees blown across the road. One of the guys had machete, had to cut a path at one point for us to get through. Our sort of bedraggled remains of the crew made our way back towards safety.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

It's evening by the time they reach the resort. Astonishingly, among the holidaymakers are some familiar faces.

[Tom Booth]

Our colleagues who'd been washed overboard earlier were there waiting for us. They were a bit scraped up. They'd been washed over the coral. They'd cut to their legs and feet, but yeah, mostly unharmed.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Every last member of the crew is here. Soaked, bruised and battered, yet somehow safe and sound. Only now does the reality of what they've all been through begin to sink in. Tears come quickly as crew members embrace one another.

[Tom Booth]

We hugged our colleagues. Two crew members absolute in hysterics. They broke down. I think they've been holding it together really well all day.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In the immediate aftermath, Tom stays at the resort, recuperating physically and emotionally.

[Tom Booth]

The guests from the previous trip were actually being housed there as well. Their flight had been cancelled. They bought all the crew dry clothes from the gift shop. We all had matching sign written T shirts and stuff.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

In fact, almost everything Tom owns has been lost, looted or ruined. Yet over the next couple of days, the atmosphere among the crewmates is not one of loss, but rather of relief and celebration. It was actually party time.

[Tom Booth]

We were elated, we were chuffed. We'd survived, we'd been through a real adventure together. And then we had a two day party afterwards.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

A few days later, Tom takes a boat out to the wreck. He surveys the damage, not only from the typhoon, but from the looters as well. Whatever has not been claimed by wind or water, the looters have destroyed or taken. The drinks cabinet has been drained dry. Even the toilet pans have been stripped out. But Tom doesn't actually hold any bitterness towards the perpetrators.

[Tom Booth]

I mean, we were robbed, but the people who did it had their whole lives wrecked. There was a few concrete buildings on the island, but the majority were corrugated iron houses and there stood no chance in this wind. So the people had lost everything they'd taken from us, but they'd lost a lot more than we had.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Tom and his employer attempt to salvage the remnants. But before they can bring the shell of the yacht back to the shore, the looters return for one final assault. They torch the vessel like a floating beacon. It burns red orange for hours out on the waves. A violent end for a boat that has already withstood extreme punishment. In a way, it's the end of this particular road for Tom too.

[Tom Booth]

I didn't know at the time that during the incident I'd strained myself and got a hernia. I was really concerned. I was a commercial diver at this point. Diving's my livelihood as a physical job and I needed medical care for this hernia. My insurance didn't cover me, so I had to travel back to the uk.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Back home, Typhoon Mesak gives Tom a new perspective on life.

[Tom Booth]

An eye opener for safety. I was 28. I'd been abroad since I was 19. Happy go lucky. Just taken out of every opportunity that came up and had a real good time, a lot more could have gone wrong that day in truck. I think having that experience and knowing that things can go wrong very quickly makes you prepare.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Diving is still his passion as well as his occupation. Yet his survival experience leads him into new areas with a special focus on supervising marine salvage projects.

[Tom Booth]

At that point, I'd made a decision to get a proper career and follow up my commercial diving. I'm now a dive supervisor who looks after other commercial divers in the water. Obviously, dive safety was always paramount to me in the safety of my customers and guests, but overall safety. I consider myself now a subject matter expert in legislation and the procedures to make diving and boating as safe as possible.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Tom's focus on safety in his work ultimately comes from a powerful insight about what happened in chuuk Lagoon in 2015 and the reason why, more than a decade later, he's still here to tell the tale.

[Tom Booth]

We're lucky Captain did his absolute utmost to keep us safe as long as possible. If we'd have hit that reef earlier, we'd have had a lot longer pinned against it with those brutal winds than we actually did. But yeah. What kept us safe? Luck, mate. I think.

[Narrator (John Hopkins)]

Yeah. Next time on REAL Survival Stories. An epic battle between man and beast in the wilderness of British Columbia in July 2019. Colin Dowler is exploring the rugged natural beauty around the southwest coast of Canada. After a night camping in the forest, he's cycling home when an unexpected obstacle appears in the road up ahead. And so a tense, terrifying, drawn out encounter commences. In the blink of an eye, Colin will find himself on the wrong side of an unfair fight thrust into a deadly struggle against one of the animal kingdom's most powerful creatures. That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen right now without waiting and without ads, by joining Noiser plus.

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[Tom Booth]

This.

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Episode is brought to you by Disney. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back on the big screen. So grab your family and friends as Disney invites you to return to Zootopia for the fur nominal movie event of the holiday season. See all your favorite Zootopia characters. Plus new favorites in the most paw eomet movie of the year. Don't miss Disney Zootopia 2. Now playing only in theaters. Get your tickets now.