P&O Pacific Dawn / Christmas Cruise – December 2019

12 nights: Brisbane > Esperitu Santo, Vanuatu; > Champagne Bay, Vanuatu; > Port Vila, Vanuatu; > Lifou, New Caledonia; > Noumea, New Caledonia; > Brisbane.

Maybe this is a throwback to my days at sea when I was a sailor in the Royal Navy but I still love the sea!

Check-In & Boarding:

It’s not unlike checking in at an airport, but obviously not an aircraft of 2,000 passengers! You pre-select your check-in time on-line and rock up at the cruise liner terminal in Hamilton. Show your passport and tickets, hand over your suitcases and you’ll be re-united with them in your accommodation onboard. It might be a couple of hours after you sail so make sure you have essentials with you [like sunscreen and medications etc].

As you board the vessel you have your photo taken and are given an ID card with a bar code. This identifies you as you go ashore and are scanned and return onboard scanned, that’s how the ship knows if they’ve got everyone back. This card is also used to pay for everything onboard and it’s linked to your credit card, there are no cash transactions. You get a lanyard with it to wear round your neck, don’t lose it.

With very high winds in the Brisbane river, for safety reasons the mv Pacific Dawn under the command of Captain Alan Dockeray MN, berthed at the container terminal on the seaward side of the Gateway Bridge. Check-in took place as normal at the cruise berth and all passengers were then bussed out to the terminal at Fishermans Islands. Boarding was well organised and as expedient as could be expected when embarking so many passengers.

The Ship:

Pacific Dawn can carry 1,900 passengers and almost 700 ships company. In 2 cruises on her I’ve only met one member of the ships company whom I took a dislike to and that is because he asked if he could have my wife’s ‘phone number – knowing she was my wife. The rest were great people and the room stewards are the nicest, most helpful folks you could ask for. If they do a good job, then leave them a good tip. We left them $20 each [think of how many cabins they service that they will get a tip from $$$].

My wife and I booked a balcony room which was on 10 deck, just a couple below the main sun / pool deck. I’d previously sailed on Pacific Dawn with my daughter in 2012 when we had a 4 bunk cabin down on 7 deck, which I had no intention of repeating with my wife.

On a passenger liner the lowest deck is 1 and the highest deck [like the bridge] is 11 or 12 dependent on the size of the vessel. Pacific Dawn has 11 decks of passenger accommodation.

On my first exploration of the ship, it was obvious she had been in refit. Since my last cruise The most obvious additions were the two new 80 metre water slides, one was transparent and the other multicoloured pumping out loud disco music. They twist and turn their way from the funnel down to the upper deck. There was also a new waterpark for little kids, which I didn’t pay too much attention to. A new Flying Fox had been installed stretching from aft to for’ard [nautical speak for ‘the back to the front’]. There is a wall climb up the side of the funnel, every time I’ve climbed a ships funnel I’ve been painting it battleship grey so I gave that a miss. There’s also a newly installed ‘Walk the Plank’ where passengers can walk out on a plank extending from the ships side on the upper deck, of course you are harnessed on. There’s a couple of people I could have nominated for that [sans harness].

There are a number of key public areas around the ship including: the Promenade Bar, The Orient and The Atrium. These had also undergone a smart and contemporary redesign to become very stylish [I remember them looking a bit tired in 2012] and they are great spot to relax with a cocktail, listen to music that isn’t jammin’ and escape the crowds elsewhere. On some nights the Orient becomes a karaoke bar so that probably isn’t the time to relax with a cocktail, just slip next door.

There’s a nightclub called The Dome which is 12 deck for’ard beneath the bridge. During  the day it is the for’ard observation loungs and you can just sit herein comfort and watch the world and the sea go by. By night there is DJ and many nights they’ll have bar games in here. I can’t remember what time  it closed but it was late.

There is a passsenger observation deck for’ard below the bridge. I don’t think many people knew about it as there were very few people there no matter what time I went. I just kept it quiet.

There is a pool on the main deck which is usually overrun with kids and some jacuzzis on the very rear deck. Some of this area was +18 only which was nice and peaceful. I like being on the stern at sunset, it reminds me of my time as a Sailor. Just watching the ships wake and the seabirds. It’s very peaceful and always provides me with a feeling of contentment.

Cruise Information:

There is great ‘pre-cruise info’ available on-line from P&O and they usually set up a facebook group for FAQ’s, Q&A etc. Always included is information on all the different theme nights they will have so you can take along appropriate attire, ie Great Gatsby 1920’s, Island Night, Hawaiian Shirts & Grass Skirts, Back to School nights etc. These were genuinely good fun nights.

Our three theme nights were:

  1. All white;

This was easy, white shorts and white t-shirt, probably cost me $10 – job done!

For this I used my red and white striped jacket, chinos, white shirt, one of my best striped ties and everyday panama hat, so mine cost me nothing. My mate Moley was wearing a pair of shorts no self-respecting boy scout would have been seen dead in 50 years ago. Once he got his school cap on he looked remarkably like Norman Wisdom! All of the girls who dressed up looked like the cast of St Trinians [if you haven’t seen it, look it up]. The only places these costumes could have come from were fancy dress hire – or the ‘costume section’ of the local adult shop. Either way, a great fun night!

This was the most ‘dress-up’ night of the cruise. I wore my black pinstripe suit I’ve had for a while. On New Years Eve 2018-19 we went to an identical theme party in England and I had acquired a black shirt & white tie and a white silk scarf. I used the same panama, the only things I bought were ‘spats’ the white shoe coverings used in the 20’s. In England I took my mums genuine violin case which gangsters used to carry Tommy Guns. That was the only thing missing.

My wife is a permanent walking fashion parade and catwalk so a dress-up opportunity like for her is a chance not to be missed! She wore a red knee length dress with gold open-toed sandals. For accessories she had long white pearls, black lace fingerless, a long black cigarette holder and the typical 1920’s thin headband with a black fascinator over the left ear. Naturally she was the Belle of the Ball and would have made a great gangsters moll.

Ships Photography

On many nights at sea the ships photographers are stationed on 5 deck midships just for’ard of the Orient bar and they each have a different backdrop for portraits. There are two more on 5 deck aft, just outside the Waterfront restaurant either side of the cross passage. We had photos done only on Great Gatsby night and we are really glad because they are brilliant. You can view them in the racks on 5 deck port side midships. You can buy the prints or a DVD of them, you can also purchase a DVD of the whole cruise.

What’s On?

Every day, delivered to your cabin is an itinerary of what’s on and where in the ship. It’s a complete all day and all night activity menu so if you want to ‘plan’ your day [or your kids day] it makes it very easy to do. You can take in a show at the theatre, practice a dance class, try your hand at art, painting, origami, even test your tastebuds with the cocktail and spirit tasting classes and the ubiquitous trivia competitions. We went in for these whenever we could. I couldn’t find any of our lot available for the ‘flag’ quiz so entered alone. And won it. Usually because I’ve been there. I think I was the only person doing the quiz who knew the correct pronunciation of Kyrgyzstan. And yes, there really is a country called Togo.

There are always films on the big screen on the upperdeck and as it was a Christmas cruise, there were a lot of Christmas films on. There is absolutely no reason, or no excuse to be bored.

Eating / Catering

There are a number of eateries onboard, you can eat every meal, every day for free if you want. On the upperdeck aft [the back] is the buffet area called the Pantry. It’s not self-serve like a traditional buffet but served by ships company behind the counter, it’s still as much as you want. Here are multiple choices from all over the world for every meal. You can go back as many times as you want. I saw some people carrying 3 plates at a time, some stacked so high, the only thing missing was a little flag in the top and perhaps some fencing round the side to stop it slipping off. These were actually the last people who should have been eating that amount but they clearly had been for a long time.

In the evenings the rear area of the Pantry is cordoned off as Shell & Bones Seafood and Grill – and it’s fantastic. I love seafood and where better to eat it but at sea. There are other choices available, including vegetarian. Best to book for an evening.

Up for’ard on the starboard side is Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill. It’s excellent, absolutely 5 star, It’s expensive but worth it. Book it the first day you get onboard.

No 5 deck is the main deck running around the ship below the upperdeck. At the stern [the back] is a large restaurant called the Waterfront. I would recommend a booking here the first day you board but other times, you just queue up and the staff take you to a table. You can have a table to yourselves dependent on your party size and availability or you can share with other cruisers. We did this a few times, it’s nice to meet other folks and talk to them.

There’s a café out on the pool deck starboard side aft just before going into the pantry eatery. Get your daytime burgers / pizza when you’re lounging around the pool during sea days.

Drinks

It is possible to pre-purchase a drinks package. I weighed up how much I would have to drink each day and decided it wasn’t worth it. If you are a massive piss artist it might be worth thinking about. If you want to keep a track of how much your spending on your card(s) just ask reception for a print out every couple of days.

The Spa

There is a Spa onboard. My daughter went there on our 2012 cruise and it was stupidly expensive. She convinced me to go for a seaweed scrub bath. It was stupidly expensive and waste of time and money. We gave it a miss this time. And don’t buy the teeth whitening paste. Or the liver cleansing pills. The member of the ships company flogging them to you is likely on commission and good on them for doing their best.

Gym

There’s a gym onboard and it’s well equipped but small and waiting times to use equipment sometimes wasn’t worth it. I should have got up earlier in the morning. There was a group doing a mile [or possibly more] around the upperdeck some mornings. Having torn my quad muscle sprinting down the deck of Pacific Dawn in 2012, I gave the Bootcamp a miss just so I didn’t ruin this holiday. There are other less strenuous classes on offer such as pilates or yoga. In all honesty the best way of exercising and keeping up your cardiovascular fitness is using the stairs instead of the lifts. You can easily walk from 4 deck to 12 deck. See if you can do it 6 times in one hour without stopping, once every 10 minutes, that’s all.

Casino

There’s a casino onboard where you can gamble all your money away on the machines if you want. Why? I walked through it multiple times but never stopped.

Library

Next to the casino is a ships library. At the end of the cruise I donated the book I’d read and I also donated a copy of my own book.

Shops

There’s a souvenir shop 5 deck midships starboard side and it sells all the usual stuff.

There’s a small essentials shop, next deck down opposite side. You should take all your essentials like headache pills, sunscreen, toiletries, book to read etc with you.

Shore Excursions

Whenever you go on a cruise, just like most holidays there are multiple opportunities for shore excursions and sightseeing trips. On the first cruise I did in 2012, we used the ships and P&O excursions which were expensive. They were great trips and we have no complaints but if you go ashore there are always hundreds of locals ready to take you on the same excursions for a fraction of the price. Obviously this comes with risks about the negotiation of the price [will it be the same at the end], is the vendor honest and you will get what you think you are paying for, is the vehicle roadworthy and is the driver safe? You need to make the best decisions for you. We never had any problems with local excursions.

Hiring Shore Gear

You can hire snorkels, masks, fins [not flippers] onboard. If you live in Australia and they’re for kids then buy them before you board. They will always use them at the beach, pools etc. As an adult you should already have decided whether or not diving is for you.

If you haven’t brought reef shoes / sandals – hire them. The coral will cut your feet to shreds.

Day 1: We Are Sailing [cue Rod Stewart]

HMS Ark Royal – Sailing – YouTube

With all passengers embarked and pre-sailing checks complete Pacific Dawn slipped her berth and proceeded north east into Moreton Bay with Bribie Island to her portside and Moreton Island to starboard. She then proceeded towards her first destination of Luganville on Santo Esperitu Island a distance of 1,046 nautical miles or 1,937 km’s or 1,203 statute miles with an expected passage of 3 days at sea.

Lifeboat Drill:

Lifeboat drill takes place a couple of hours after sailing, it’s compulsory for a reason – take it seriously. Emergencies on cruise / passenger vessels are very rare but not unheard of. Costa Concordia being the most recent high-profile event but there have been others. Fire is the most disorienting experience, if you inhale smoke and you cannot see it is very easy to lose all sense of direction. If you’re in an unfamiliar environment and it’s dark [all the lights might be out] you can very quickly be in a very undesirable situation.

I’ve been involved in seaborne rescues of people in distress and been rescued from a ship that was on fire and sinking so have first hand experience of this at sea. But I’ve avoided it for decades so I’m no Jonah!

My advice:

Once lifeboat drill is over go back to your accommodation and work out which way the nearest exit is on both sides of the ship. Count the paces and make sure you could do this with your eyes closed. Emergencies on ships can develop very quickly and you can’t just call the Fire Brigade and expect them to be there in a few minutes.

To get to your lifeboat station is going to mean going down passageways inside the ship and if there’s a fire, there’s going to be smoke and this could hinder your passage to your muster station and/or lifeboat. Do exactly as you are instructed by the ships company. As an ex-professional mariner, I know exactly what I will do but if you’re a layman [or layperson we probably have to say these days] do as you are told.

Days 2 – 3:

A couple of days at sea sailing across the Coral Sea and South Pacific Ocean, vast expanses of deep royal blue with only the faintest hint of white horses as the slightest of waves broke. This was a great opportunity to explore and familiarise ourselves with the ship. There were 12 in our party, 2 x 2 couples and 2 x families of 4 and the general consensus from all adults and all 4 teenagers is that the ship and the overall cruise had something for everyone.

Our first full day at sea all the adults ate at Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill to do the introductions as we had not met our friends cousin and his wife and the other two couples hadn’t met our friends visiting from England. Of the 8 of us, all of us had two courses and none of us had a complaint about anything. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu and the accompanying wines. They were attentive, expedient and observant. We couldn’t fault the experience at all. It wasn’t cheap but if you’re going to go to Salt Grill then make sure it’s worth it.

VANUATU

Although the native inhabitants are Melanesian and have been here for thousands of years [at least since the 13th century BC] in the 19th century the British and the French settled what was originally titled ‘The New Hebrides’. In 1906 it was agreed it would be an Anglo-French Condominium, which would administer the islands until they finally took independence in 1980.

Day 4: Luganville, Santo Esperitu Island

Right on schedule Pacific Dawn rounded the north end of Santo Esperitu Island and came alongside the cruise liner berth in the second biggest city of Vanuatu.

We disembarked to the welcome of a local band on the jetty and as expected there were hundreds of local folks with a varying array of vehicles offering a multitude of trips and excursions.

We struck up a deal with ‘Tony’ not sure if that was his real Vanuatuan name but he had all the makings of an ideal local tour guide. He was welcoming, upfront and appeared as honest as anyone can at face value in a first meeting. He explained what he suggested by way of a trip to the local beach, then the native village, the swimming lagoon and lunch by the beach on the other side of the island. For the princely sum of AU$20 each we had ourselves a guide for the full day on Holy Spirit Island.

Beach

We piled in Tony’s 4WD and a short drive up the road has us arriving at the local beach. Here we snorkelled around the reefs with an abundance of tropical fish. One of the first tricks I learned diving decades ago was always take some fish food with you and I let it go right in front of my friends mask so for the first time in his life, and his first ever time snorkelling he got a front row seat to a feeding frenzy of loads of Nemos banging away on his mask! It was an OK coral reef and there are a few old remnants of wrecks here but nothing too exciting.

There’s a few little beach shades here and also behind the buildings and the huge fig tree what could loosely be described as toilets. Take your own paper.

Native Village

After a relaxing couple of hours at the beach, we headed off for a cultural experience visit to the local native village. This commenced with a briefing in the traditional ‘hut’ / house. We were told all the history and customs right down to how the houses are built and the rooves are weaved and thatched. I’ve always loved the historical and cultural aspects of travel and this was really interesting.

Then we adjourned outside for a ‘dance’. The local warriors started off but were soon dragging the audience in for a jaunt around with them. One of the local warriors took a bit of a shine to my wife and decided he would sit on her lap. I’m not sure all that bump and grind would have been acceptable in some places but she’s a great sport.

She was very taken with the little Vanuatan kids and had loads of photos taken with them. A couple of them seemed mesmerised by her, I don’t think they’d ever seen anyone who looks like her before [but a lot of people stare at her in the street in Brisbane so I’m never surprised].

Blue Hole

Photos of local kids complete, it was all aboard the Tony wagon and off to the swimming hole / lagoon. Vanuatu boasts more swimming holes than anywhere else in the world. They are truly an amazing sight, just like large natural aquariums but are actually naturally occurring limestone springs. When I looked at the sapphire blue water and deepest jungle green trees I wondered if God had got busy with the photoshop on them. They are fed from underground streams of completely pure water, from up to 50km away. Entry was 500VT each and the lagoon is a couple of hundred metres down a narrow track. There was a swing rope attached to a large tree but the rope was very thin and obviously wet. If you reach up as high as you can [and your 6 ft / 182cm tall] even if you swing your feet right up, you won’t clear the water. You’ll need to jump and reach up the rope a bit higher. But of course as soon as you jump you’re swinging towards the water so you’d better be acrobatically quick! The water was cold. Beautifully refreshingly cold. There was just something about swinging through a jungle into a natural watering hole that made it feel very ‘Tarzanesque.’ There are multiple blue holes to visit, some you can get there by outrigger canoe and they also have crystal clear rivers wandering from the blue hole down to the sea.

Lunch by the Beach

The beach was beautiful. The service in the restaurant there was not. We’d arrived about 20 minutes after our friends and we all ordered a pizza and beers. The other couple we were with got their pizza in standard pizza time. I waited another 15 minutes and then enquired about ours to be told it would only be a couple of minutes. Another 10 minutes passed and I enquired again. I was met with blank stares and I’ve worked in enough developing countries to know exactly what that means. The German owner was summonsed and it was established that no one had actually started our pizza. He told us 10 minutes but we had to leave, so he reimbursed us and we left. Hungry. Or hangry in my case. But the beer was still good and still cold and the beach and the view was still beautiful and the company was still great so all was forgiven. Tony drove us back to Luganville. We stopped and had a wander around for a few minutes but it’s not exactly a tourist mecca so we headed back onboard.

A clam shell with my size 11 flip flop next to it for comparison

The ‘no pizza’ restaurant

Day 5: Champagne Bay

Pacific Dawn slipped from her moorings and was expertly taken out to sea by Capt Dockeray for the short transit round the coast to Champagne Bay. The ship went to anchor in the palm-lined horseshoe bay and the ships company lowered the boats [or ‘tenders’ as they are called] to transfer passengers ashore.

When you go ashore via boat it’s quite well organised. The ship will call passengers by some form of group / roster I’m not familiar with, to go to the theatre on 5 desk for’ard. You go in the port side door and are given a ticket with a number on [like a raffle]. You hang around for a while and then they’ll call “numbers from 50 to 75” or something like that. You file out the starboard door and down a deck to the pontoon to board the boat. If you have trouble walking, or have a disability you might want to check all this out beforehand. Inside the boat will be chokka and everyone has their beach bags, backpacks, cameras, snorkelling gear etc. It’s cramped but the windows are open and you’re soon heading ashore and it’s not very far. Stay seated until the boat crew have secured the tender alongside and call you to disembark. Let those nearest the exits get out first, it’s common sense and it makes more room. If you’re right at the back of the boat and try to push past everyone because you think you’re more important than them, you won’t achieve anything except pissing everyone off and delaying disembarkation.

It was only a few hundred metres from the ship to the small jetty poking out from beneath a large spreading tree on the beach. Despite the ship being at maximum capacity there was still ample room on the beach. The closer you were to the point of coming ashore, the more crowded it was but you could easily find enough space to put down your towel. We found a semi-shade, semi-sun spot and staked out our little piece of paradise.

On the beach there were dozens of stalls selling local traditional crafts, wares, souvenirs, sarongs, fridge magnets, hats, beer can coolers etc. It’s virtually all the same price across the stalls, it isn’t much in comparison to what you paid for the cruise and the cruise ships are their livelihood so don’t try and screw them down.

We wandered up to one of the thatched beach shacks that sold snacks and beer. The grilled chicken was delicious and the beer was cold and refreshing, couldn’t ask for any more than that. The beach area started to empty and the queue to go back onboard got longer, I don’t like queueing for anything at the best of times. But the ships tenders plied back and forth with their holds full of passengers and it wasn’t long before the queue dwindled enough to go and pack up our beach kit and by the time we’d finished there was hardly any wait at all. A 5 minute trip across Champagne Bay and we were reboarding the ship that looked like a great white whale. Sorry Moby Dick. And Canberra.

She weighed anchor and slid gently out into the South Pacific Ocean.

Day 6: Port Vila

The capital city and also the commercial centre of the island nation is Port Vila situated on the island of Efate. It is a bustling port town with markets, restaurants, bars, souvenir stalls which will cater to any holidaymaker / visitor.

Unfortunately my wife woke up feeling ill so we couldn’t go on any of the excursions we had planned to which were to Mele Cascades and Waterfalls and the local markets.

This is the second time I have been to Vila and not been able to do what I planned because the first time [on the 2012 cruise on Pacific Dawn] I tore my quad muscle in half and couldn’t walk far.

Late in the afternoon we managed an amble off the ship, along they jetty to get the obligatory fridge magnet and then round the corner to have a beer in the harbour front bar as the sun went down. That’s all I did last time as well.

With the pilot embarked and athwartships thrusters engaged, Pacific Dawn pulled away from the wharf and turning 180 degrees. She nosed out of the harbour and departed Vanuatu for the last time in 2019.

NEW CALEDONIA

Day 7: Lifou

We went to anchor in the bay about 2 miles offshore from the island of Lifou. The tenders take you ashore to an area called Easo. There’s a couple of shops, cafés, bars there but not much else. It’s good for snorkelling and there are reefs just offshore.

The island is about 50 miles long and varies from 10 – 15 miles wide, altogether it is 1,200 square km’s but doesn’t look or feel that big. The population is only about 9,000 and there are no hills or rivers on the island but it has thick, dense jungles in the island interior with fairly spectacular rugged cliffs, especially near the lighthouse.

It is part of New Caledonia which is a French overseas territory [we don’t say ‘colony’ any more] and is part of the Loyalty Islands Province of NC. Lifou is 120 mile north east of the main island and there is another small inhabited island nearby [Tiga or Tokanod] plus multiple other smaller uninhabited islands.

Lue Jajinyi Cave

Our entire group went ashore and ambled up the road in search of Lue Jajinyi cave we had heard about which has a swimming hole in it. To find it you have to pass Ave Maris church which was built by Christian missionaries in 1898. It looks a bit neglected and could use some TLC.

The entrance to the cave is just next to the church but there isn’t a sign. You pay some local bloke here $10 to go in, I have no idea if this is legit or if he is just a smart opportunist but we weren’t bothered. Dump all your other gear here, snorkelling, backpacks, anything you don’t immediately need and isn’t valuable. You don’t want to be carrying heavy unnecessary stuff up and down from the cave. Definitely take some drinking water.

The path down is small, narrow and steep. The surfaces are uneven and unstable. It isn’t for folks with walking or mobility difficulties. You’ll need training shoes or something like that, I think I did it in flip flops, I probably wouldn’t do that again. There are ropes secured as handrails so use them.

You squeeze through a narrow rock entrance to get into the cave. Inside it’s dark but there is a single bulb hanging from a wire which does provide some light. The water just looks black and it’s impossible to see the bottom although one of the locals told me it was about 30-35 metres deep. I have no idea how accurate that is and you’d need to scuba dive it to establish that conclusively. I wouldn’t want to lug my scuba tanks up and down that pathway. Once you’ve jumped in, getting out doesn’t look so easy, there appears to be a lot of scrambling and heaving so before you jump in, make sure you can definitely get back out.

The cave entrance you squeeze through

Then came the trek back up, that’s where the ropes became handy to heave yourself up. Finally got to the top feeling like Edmund Hillary and drank about 2 litres of water. It was good exercise and definitely worth going.

Locals building a traditional home

The days exercise completed we bimbled off back towards the jetty to go back aboard. Dave and I and my mate Moley and his wife from UK all decided to take a walk along the beach til we found a location to snorkel. It wasn’t too difficult, normally the beaches would be secluded but with a massive great cruise liner anchored 1 mile away there were a few other folks camped in the beach inlets.

We found a deserted one, donned masks, snorkels and fins [not flippers] and kicked out for the reefs. It’s very shallow for a while and then you cross a small sand bar and are rewarded by brilliant coral reefs teeming with multi-coloured tropical fish and even turtles. If you don’t have fins then wear reef shoes because the coral is very sharp and can cut your feet badly. Dave and I were out probably halfway to the ship so probably half a mile out. Had circumstances advanced by 1 hour then things could have turned out very differently, as will be revealed.

The 4 of us made our way back to the beach, picked our kit up and went back aboard Pacific Dawn and Dave and I agreed to meet for lunch at the Pantry at 1pm. He didn’t show up so having accepted I’m so ugly I even get stood up by blokes, I got myself something to eat. I’d only just sat down when I heard the ships broadcast “emergency medical team close-up in the sickbay at the rush.” In nautical terms ‘close-up’ means ‘man your positions’. ‘At the rush’ means exactly that – get running! I guessed one of the passengers wasn’t well but there some very elderly and some clearly very unfit people onboard so it was no great surprise. I finished eating and went for a walk round the upperdeck just to have another look at Lifou and where we’d been snorkelling. A stretcher was being very gingerly loaded onto a tender and once secured aboard the boat made for the jetty at full speed. That was obviously what the call for the emergency medical team was about. I didn’t know who it was but I wished then a speedy recovery so close to Christmas.

I went back to the sundeck and found the rest of our party, but there was instantly something wrong because every one of them was silent. My mate’s wife came up to me and said “Dave’s had a heart attack, he’s been taken ashore and is being flown to hospital in Noumea.” That was the call for the EMT – it was Dave. Our Dave. It was him being stretchered onto the tender. I felt sick. If that heart attack had happened 1 hour earlier when there was just him and me snorkelling on the reef half a mile from the beach and from the ship – the outcome could have been very different. The rest of the afternoon was spent either in shock or discussing what would happen when we arrived in Noumea the following day which was Christmas Eve. As a group we held a council that night and the following was decided: