Instead of all the action happening at two in the morning, the captain announced just before lunchtime that we were slowing down and that a helicopter had been dispatched from the nearest coast guard point in order to evacuate an ill passenger from the boat. Thus, all outdoor decks had to be cleared, all sun beds stacked and everything loose that could be tied down was to be tied down. Passengers were to stay inside, nobody was allowed onto balconies or the open decks and there was to be no photography.
Naturally, everyone made their way to the best inside vantage points, armed with cameras, iPhones, laptops and anything else that would take a picture, and before too long, a helicopter from the Omani Air Force was in sight. It did a couple of passes over the ship, checking out the clearest hovering space whilst at the same time, the captain backed down on the photography, advising that there was to be only no flash photography, and also admonishing (in very clear terms), those passengers who were happily watching proceedings from their balconies.
Once everyone was happy, the helicopter lowered itself down to within inches of the railings and other parts of the superstructure whilst the ship was still moving slowly forwards, and bringing gasps from the watching throngs each time the ship or aircraft lurched one way or the other. The casualty, along with one of the ship's paramedics were then winched on board and once the door was safely closed, it sped off towards the nearest hospital in Oman. There were big rounds of applause and then life slowly began to return to normal.
One can only admire the coordination of all parties involved, not forget the skills of the helicopter crew and we should all be reminded that this was not an exercise or an air display, but a real operation saving a persons life.
By the time this blog post is read, the entire rescue will undoubtedly be posted on Facebook somewhere, and I've no doubt on YouTube as well!
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