A Toronto couple is speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience aboard a tour boat that sank in the Dominican Republic last week.
Brock MacKenzie and his partner, Kerri Wolanski, were enjoying a tour of the Haitises National Park caves on Monday, April 15, when they first noticed water seeping into their boat.
MacKenzie said he initially didn’t understand what was happening, but soon realized the seriousness of the situation, as the ship was approximately 25 minutes from shore at the time.
“I looked at (Wolanski) and thought, ‘How are you getting wet?’ Like I couldn’t understand where the water was coming from,” MacKenzie said in an interview with CTV News Toronto. “I looked around and the ship was sinking.”
MacKenzie said there were about 30 other people on board the ship at the time, including at least one child and some elderly people.
He said most passengers were not wearing life jackets and that crew members “handed out rum” as the ship took on water.
“The craziest part of the whole trip wasn’t the fact that the boat took on water,” MacKenzie said. “We went out and no one had life jackets on, there was no security, no one talked about the safety of this boat, what happens if [the boat was to take on water].”
The ship was taken to a nearby island.
The boat, according to its operator Grupo Piñero, received a blow to the hull on the starboard side, apparently caused by a floating log.
In a statement provided to CTV News Toronto, the company said the captain followed “all protocols starting with requesting a rescue service, inspecting the ship and following the rules by everyone on board.”
The company said that after inspecting the ship, the captain decided to take it to Cayo Levantado, a nearby island, while a relief ship was en route to take passengers back to shore.
A catamaran boat used for excursions in the Dominican Republic by Grupo Piñero began taking on water while at sea on Monday, April 15, 2024. There were around 30 people on board, including some Canadian travelers who called the experience ‘scary’ ‘. (Photo courtesy of Brock MacKenzie).
“As soon as the ship’s captain realized the breakdown, he called for support and followed all protocols,” the statement said.
The crew ‘did nothing, they didn’t explain anything’
Grupo Piñero said its protocols require all passengers to wear life jackets at all times but MacKenzie said no one wore a life jacket during the excursion. He added that during the 40 minutes it took for the relief ship to arrive and safely transport the passengers, the crew “also did nothing” to put life jackets on the passengers.
“We made sure everyone had life jackets,” he said of the children and seniors on board. “The gang? I have no idea where they were.”
“…This was one of the scariest things ever,” he said.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident and all passengers aboard the ship eventually returned safely to shore.
When they did, MacKenzie said Grupo Piñero asked the passengers to sign legal documents about what happened. The document, an image of which was provided to CTV News Toronto, asked passengers to agree that there was a “minor issue” with the ship that was “immediately corrected” by the company.
According to MacKenzie, no one signed the document.
Shortly after returning to shore, passengers aboard a sinking ship were given documents to sign from Grupo Piñero, the tour group that took the travelers on the excursion. According to a Canadian passenger, no one signed the documents and some are considering legal action. (Photo credit Brock MacKenzie).
In a statement provided to CTV News Toronto, Air Transat says they have contacted all affected customers to offer a refund for the excursion, “and to personally ensure that the resolution of this matter is satisfactory to them.”
MacKenzie said no insurance company has contacted him, nor has anyone from Air Transat acknowledged the incident occurred. He is considering using a lawyer, as he is concerned that the company will not make the necessary changes.
“Put it down to life experience or whatever,” he said. “But they’re not going to change what they do until someone holds them accountable for the fact that what happened there was extremely dangerous.”
MacKenzie told CTV News Toronto that the tour was purchased through an Air Transat representative.
In a statement, Air Transat said they have been contacting all affected customers since the incident to offer a refund for the excursion, “and to personally ensure that the resolution of this matter is satisfactory to them.”
MacKenzie said she is considering contacting a lawyer in the wake of the incident because she is concerned that the tour operator will not make necessary safety changes.
“Put it down to life experience or whatever,” he said. “But they’re not going to change what they do until someone holds them accountable for the fact that what happened there was extremely dangerous.”