AFTER nearly 37 hours adrift at sea with nothing but life jackets and a wooden plank to keep them afloat, the six medical workers from Lau were running out of hope.
But as darkness surrounded them, a mysterious flashlight appeared in the distance, a small beam that would eventually guide rescuers to their location.
A faint flashlight beam, impossible to explain given the distance and the rough conditions, pierced through the night, guiding the crew of the Lomaiviti Princess XII towards the missing medical team and ending one of the most intense maritime searches in recent memory.
For Captain Adriano Rabolabiu, the moment was nothing short of divine intervention. Mr Rabolabiu recalled receiving the distressing news that a boat carrying seven people had capsized while travelling in Lau waters, as they were travelling to Vanuavatu in Lau.
His immediate concern was reaching the missing medical workers as quickly as possible. The search began with a series of urgent calls. Mr Rabolabiu said he contacted Lakeba Hospital and was told the medical team had departed after 8pm but had not arrived at their destination by midnight.
He then began checking whether nearby vessels and authorities had been informed.
“There’s a vessel just ahead of us. Have you informed them that they are missing people out at sea?” he recalled asking.
After being told only police had been notified, Mr Rabolabiu said he immediately took action. He contacted the vessel ahead, informed the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, and requested regular updates while the search continued.
The next morning, a message from the Navy appeared to bring relief.
“At 10 o’clock in the morning, he (a crew mate) came running to me. He said, there’s a text from the Navy. They’ve been found in Nayau.”
He rushed to the wheelhouse and checked the message himself. However, as he began making further calls, he realised something was wrong.
The information was later confirmed to be false after a vessel searching the area had been mistaken for the missing boat.
The search continued. Mr Rabolabiu contacted communities across Lau, including Oneata, Olorua and Komo, asking whether anyone had seen signs of the missing team.
Still, there was no news. After reaching Vanuavatu in Lau and unloading passengers and supplies, the captain decided the search would continue.
“We just had the passengers disembark with all their shopping things and their essential items they need for two weeks.
“The building material and the big drums, we left it on board and we took off. Because we were losing daylight.”
He said maritime law requires a ship captain to assist people in distress. At around 3pm, Mr Rabolabiu gathered his crew in the wheelhouse and began coordinating a wider search.
“I then announced to the passengers to help us look. Everyone helped us. They were shining lights because it would reflect on the teams life jackets, for us to spot.”
As the ship moved through the waters searching for any sign of the missing medical workers, Mr Rabolabiu went inside to pray.
“I have a prayer called Divine Mercy — ‘Jesus, I trust in you’. It never failed me and it didn’t fail me.”
Then came the moment that changed the search. From above the vessel, crew members began shouting.
“Light, light, light!” The crew had spotted a flashing light in the darkness.
Mr Rabolabiu immediately contacted Lakeba Hospital to confirm whether the missing team had a flashlight.
“They said no, they had nothing but life jackets and a plank,” he said. For the captain, the circumstances surrounding the light were difficult to explain.
After the rescue, he calculated the distance between where the light was spotted and where the survivors were found.
“It was 2.6 nautical miles. As a ship captain, that was a very unlikely odd. Imagine a torchlight at 2.6 miles, shining through waves like that (rough mounting waves).
“When we came close, right to the end when they were just about 100 metres away, I still couldn’t see them properly because of the waves. But the guys on top could see them.”
It was later learnt that as the crew while out at sea prayed for as long as they can and out of the blue a Toshiba flash light floated towards them allowing them ship and signal at the vessel later.
The rescue operation began at about 7pm. However, getting the exhausted medical workers safely aboard was another challenge.
Mr Rabolabiu said the crew had difficulty deploying the rescue dinghy due to the rough conditions. But eventually, the team was brought safely aboard.
“Once we saw them, I told them it was going to be okay. We will save you, God will save you.”
After nearly two days lost at sea, the medical workers had finally been found.
For Captain Rabolabiu, the rescue was not just a successful search operation, it was a moment of faith and survival.
“But I gave thanks back to God.”
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka visited the medical team yesterday and spent time with each of the recovering officials and offered words of encouragement.
The team is still recovering at the Tamavua Twomey Hospital.
