Rapture Boat Trip 2007

"Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened."

It is about the same time as last year that a group of Punahou students gathered together to aboard the Rapture boat. Everyone was excited to experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and to make memories with new friends during the three day excursion. But only did no one expect the twist and turns of events that would transform a harmless school field trip into a great tragedy.

It was our first full day out at sea. The evening before, we arrived along the Lana'i Coast from the boat harbor on Oahu; this was our anchoring spot. It was a scene I've never seen before. Massive, towering cliffs hung over us and the ocean was a clear and pristine blue that we rarely see on Oahu. We were to begin our various station activities for the day, including kayaking, snorkeling and marine biology activities. My group was lucky to have gotten kayaking as our first station that day. We all put on our lifejackets and in groups of two, hopped into a kayak. As we were paddling along, I just couldn't believe I was here. We were at this beautiful place that many people rarely ever see in their lives. The atmosphere and vibe was very peaceful and calm; it was relaxing to be away from our hectic everyday lives.

We started to head back to the boat after a while so we could get ready for our next activity: snorkeling. We scrambled around to find the right size fins and a mask with a good snorkel. Two groups were assigned to go snorkeling together so we all gathered tightly in a couple of smaller boats to go out to the snorkeling spot, Shark Fin Rock. Once we got there, my group started putting on our fins and masks. Jenna and I were the last people to enter the water. It felt like we only just jumped in, when we were already being called to get back in the boat. I figured it would take a while for everyone to get back in so I didn't rush. I looked up and saw my brother calling out to me from the edge of the boat. I took off my mask and started swimming over so I could hear what he was saying. When I got close, I heard "Annie, get in the boat, they said there's a shark in the water!" At hearing this, I freaked and frantically yelled at my brother to get me out of the water. Once safely inside, everyone was looking around to find this supposed shark. About 50 yards away, there was another smaller boat and one of the crew members was in diving gear. He dived into the water. The crew member that was in charge of our boat kept glancing over to the smaller boat; you could tell something was wrong. "Look at the cliffs," our crew member said to us on the boat. Of course, everyone gullibly did. I looked for only a brief moment and when deciding that was obviously a distraction, looked back. For only a fraction of a second, I saw a body being dragged into the smaller boat, the feet hanging over the edge.

Everyone gasped and people began muttering over what must have happened. Our boat began to move. We thought we were heading back the main boat but we were only being taken further from that spot. No one knew who it was, we all assumed it was another crew member; someone we didn't know. We sat, mostly in silence and awe, for an hour, everyone wondering what it must be. The smaller boat, the one that had the body in it, went back to the main boat. No other students could be seen, so they must have gathered them all at the front. The rest was kind of a blur. A speedboat came to the main boat but then drove away quickly. Once the speedboat was out of sight, we finally started to head back in.

As we walked back onto the Rapture, the worry-free and relaxed vibe that only moments ago filled the air was now completely gone. We weren't told anything for a few hours. All activities for the day were cancelled and we were told to wait. Just wait. Everyone told their recollection of what they saw and heard but really, no one knew anything. After hours of waiting, we were finally gathered in the meeting space. Everyone was dead silent as Mrs. Peiterson stood up to speak. Her face we tear stricken and she looked miserable, we knew something terrible happened. She struggled to speak, but told us that Jeremiah Johnson, a Punahou science teacher, was snorkeling, and experienced Shallow Water Blackout. Basically, he dove and as he was coming back up, ran out of air and his lungs were filled with water. This made him go unconscious and begin to sink. The crew members noticed strange bubbles on the surface of the water and realized what must've happened. As quickly as they could, a crew member suited up in diving gear and dove in to try and save him. He came up several times empty handed. Mr. Johnson hit the bottom of the ocean at about 100 feet. Only then were they able to retrieve him. They tried CPR many times but were not able to revive him. At that time, she said that he was taken to a hospital on Maui where they had yet to hear any news on his condition. She said there was still a chance and that the most we could do was pray for him and his family.

I personally didn't have the chance to get to know Mr. Johnson but many of the students on the boat knew him very well. On hearing this news, people didn't know what to do or how to react. It was like a dream, I was in a situation I never before experienced anything close to. Teachers and students broke down and were crying uncontrollably. That vibe I talked about before was replaced with sorrow and misery. No one knew what just hit us all out of no where.

A couple more hours later, we were told that he didn't make it. There was just that feeling that everyone had that thought he has to make it because something like this just couldn't happen. All hope that anyone had was crushed and we had to face the truth.

The timing and place of this occurrence was so strange and unbelievable that it is still hard for me to face that it really actually happened. Now it seems so distant and far away, like a nightmare that I woke up from and realized was just a nightmare, but the thing is, this wasn't.