Ten passengers and eight crew members from a Silversea cruise were rescued from a remote island off the northern coast of Australia on Thursday, 26 June.

1news reported that earlier, about 60 other passengers made it to safety after they were forced to abandon zodiac boats grounded off Adele Island about 100km north of the West Australian mainland.

The group was on an expedition tour near the island when a fast-moving tide caught them by surprise, and they were stranded about four nautical miles from the ship.

According to the press release, about 70 passengers and 10 guides waded 500m through a coral reef to deeper water to be rescued by zodiac vessels sent from the ship. By sunset, most had been rescued and returned to the Silver Cloud.

Some were treated for minor cuts and abrasions. The remaining passengers and crew were stranded for more than four hours as zodiac vessels were unable to cross an exposed reef until the tide turned about 10 p.m. local time.