A Durham couple, who were also passengers on the Viking Polaris, are sharing their story about a vacation turned into a nightmare.
Impact of wave
Gooding, who is still on board the cruise ship, spoke with WRAL News by phone, describing the immense impact of the wave, saying, “We wondered if we hit an iceberg. And there are no icebergs out here, but that’s how it felt.”
Wave incident
A representative from Viking, the cruise company, confirmed that “a rogue wave incident” occurred.
The National Ocean Service describes these waves as “large, unexpected and dangerous.”
“Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking,” said Gooding. “We didn’t know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship.”
A Viking representative shared this statement regarding the death of a passenger and injuries to others:
“We have notified the guest’s family and shared our deepest sympathies. We will continue to offer our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead … Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel. A two-week journey of stunning views—cut short.”
The couple has already booked the same cruise on a different ship for March 2023.
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Source: Wral
