Breaking: Rip Curl sued for negligence!

Who wants to sail the high seas and have the adventure of a lifetime?

Do you recall two years ago when the Rip Curl surf charter vessel Quest 1 (formerly the Indies Trader II) sank whilst touring the Mentawi islands? Surfline reported:

At around 2:30am, somewhere between Lance’s Left and The Lighthouse, American passenger Pete Nevins went below deck to find a flooded engine room. “There was bubbling coming up from behind the starboard diesel, the twin screw,” he said. “We thought we had the water under control, but we didn’t. And about an hour-and-a-half later, we decided we should probably get off the vessel. Because once we lost the engines and all the power — there was no back-up power — we had lost all electronics, and at that point we didn’t even know our position. We had to abandon ship. It was a frenzy at first — people were just jumping off, going under the ski, all that stuff… But in the end we regained composure and got everyone into the life rafts.”

Once safely in the rafts, the stranded passengers and crew made a single phone call, to an agent in Padang, then all communication was lost. And after watching the last pieces of the Quest 1 disappear beneath the Indian Ocean, they floated into the sunrise, unsure if help was on the way.

Six hours later the legendary Martin Daly happened upon them and all were saved.

Two days ago Pete Nevins and other passengers filed a lawsuit against Rip Curl Inc. and others alleging negligence. Shall we read the suit? It would be negligent not to!

Negligence. Plaintiffs are an active group of surfing enthusiasts who were passengers aboard defendants’ legendary surfing excursion vessel, the Quest 1, when it sank in the middle of the night on the high seas off the coast of the Mentawai Islands. The vessel was devoid of any emergency damage control and lacked operable emergency position indicating radio beacon. As the vessel filled with water, the captain panicked and abandoned the ship on a Jet Ski, leaving plaintiff’s behind. Plaintiffs floated in a life raft in complete darkness for several hours until dawn realizing defendants had taken no action to notify the Indonesian coast guard or other rescue resources.

Oh of course, and again, these are mere allegations and I am certain Rip Curl is looking forward to answering them in a court of law. In the meanwhile, though, don’t you think Rip Curl should use the professed adventure in a wonderful new promotional brochure? In my mind it reads…

Come Search with Rip Curl!

Bored of the same old same old? Barrel, air, yawn? Well Come Search with Rip Curl! Our boats allegedly have no emergency damage control! When they begin to sink the captain is certain to allegedly panic and flee, allegedly leaving you and your best pals behind in the dark with one life raft. While no one is allegedly coming to get you, you’ll all have time to bond like you’ve never bonded before. And at the next office Christmas party you’ll have the story that beats all others. Don’t delay! Space is limited!

That’s good right? Have I been in the wrong career all along? Should I become a travel brochure writer?

Maybe.

I’ll call Rip Curl when offices open Monday for an official response and also to see if they are hiring.

Wish me luck!