When MV Matui was struck by huge waves and began to go down, Dalesa Tari had little time to think about himself. He looked for the people he loved.
Among the survivors was his sister and a family member.
She was crying.
Dalesa told her not to panic.
He knew fear could make their situation worse.
Then he saw life jackets floating in the water.
He swam towards them and brought them back to the others.
For Dalesa, the fight was no longer just about surviving.
It was about getting his family home.
Dalesa, from Loloaru Village in North-West Ambae, told VBTC NEWS that he had travelled aboard the MV Matui when the vessel was caught in huge waves between Ambae and Santo on Friday.
The waves were so strong that the ship was capsized, leaving the passengers with little opportunity to contact their families or send word about what was happening.
They entered the sea.
And they began swimming.
As the survivors struggled through the waters, Dalesa saw a bag containing two apples, a packet of Maggi noodles and a packet of Twisties.
He placed the food in his backpack.
Later, they found a bucket of Punjas biscuits and held on to it for as long as they could, until the lid broke and seawater entered.
They had no choice but to let it go.
The tide was becoming stronger.
Darkness was approaching.
During the night, they found another young survivor from West Ambae.
The survivors rested in the open ocean, tying their life jackets together so they could remain close.
They stayed together until daylight.
When they woke, they discovered that the current had carried them to the end of Maewo Island.
Then they saw something that brought both hope and heartbreak.
Ambae.
Home.
It was visible in the distance.
Dalesa asked the others whether they should swim towards Ambae or Maewo.
Their answer came through tears.
“Ambae.”
So they tried.
But the sea would not let them go home.
The current was too strong.
They had to change direction towards Santo.
Dalesa then tied the survivors together, again.
He became the one pulling them forward.
Behind him were three people, holding onto the line.
He kept swimming.
At one point, they encountered a crew member from the MV Matui, clinging to a large bag filled with vegetables.
The crew member gave them cucumbers.
They ate them in the sea.
Dalesa gave him a life jacket and tied him into the line.
Now not three but four people , holding onto the line.
But the crew member soon became worried that he was slowing the others down.
Dalesa told him to hold on.
“It’s okay, my brother. We are getting close to Santo. Hang in there.”
The crew member continued insisting that Dalesa let him go.
Eventually, Dalesa had no choice.
He released him.
When he looked back, the crew member was still following them.
Late on he lost sight of him.
Another survivor from West Ambae was also struggling to continue as he had experienced stiff muscles.
Dalesa told him he would go ahead and, if he find a boat or help, they would come back for him.
The three of them continued.
They saw the lights from a ship in the distance and swam towards them.
But the vessel was moving too quickly.
The lights disappeared.
It was dark again.
Around 9pm, Dalesa said they reached what he believed was an island, although he was not certain of its exact location.
There was nobody there.
So he began shouting.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Then, in the darkness, he saw lights from a yacht.
People aboard began shining their torches towards them, but the rough sea made it difficult to see the survivors.
Dalesa then threw his life jacket into the air.
Its reflector caught the light.
The people on the yacht saw it.
That small reflection in the darkness became their way home.
The yacht came towards them.
The survivors were taken aboard.
By then, their bodies were numb.
Dalesa said they could barely stand.
They lay down and were taken directly to Northern District Hospital for further treatment.
For Dalesa, the journey began with a ship being overwhelmed by the sea.
But his story became something more.
He searched for life jackets for others.
He carried food for the group.
He tied survivors together.
He pulled them through the ocean.
And when people became too weak to continue, he kept encouraging them to hold on.
In a sea that was trying to pull them apart, Dalesa tried to keep everyone together.
His story is not only about surviving the sinking of MV Matui.
It is about a young man who, in the middle of one of the most frightening moments of his life, became a lifeline for the people around him.
This feature is based on a survivor testimony provided to VBTC NEWS by Dalesa Tari, of Loloaru Village in North-West Ambae. Details are presented according to his account.
