Travelling advice from those lost at sea

They lived to tell their story about the scariest night of their lives, but now eight Hamilton women have advice for other travelers.

A group of women vacationing in the Bahamas for a bachelorette party were stranded on a boat in the ocean for over 24 hours.

The moment of happiness, and relief of being rescued by fishermen, after spending more than a day and night at sea is a moment these women will never forget.

Friends and family overjoyed and even the locals were relieved to hear the news.

Thirteen Hamilton women took a trip to Riu Paradise Island in Nassau Bahamas to celebrate Andrea Palmieri’s bachelorette party. Eight of the thirteen girls decided to take a boat excursion to Exuma Island for the day.

It is a popular tourist spot where many go to swim with pigs, but these women never made it to see the sight. They were supposed to be back at the resort in time for dinner.

But as night fell, the friends who stayed back were worried sick.

They purchased the excursion from locals on the beach, who were not affiliated with the resort. They paid $100 each for the trip to Exuma, when it normallly costs $400 per person.

The trip to the island was supposed to be an hour and a half journey, but after six hours at sea, and still no sign of land, they started to question if the guides knew where they were going.

Then real trouble came.

With no way of getting anyone’s attention, they huddled for warmth at night, under their beach towels. High waves were coming into the boat.

The women’s advice for travelers, don’t leave the resort before doing extensive research about who you are going with, and never get onto a boat without making sure there are life jackets, paddles, flares, things that many vacationers never question. The women say they never felt threatened by the five men who took them on the excursion, because the crew appeared to be more terrified then they were.