THREE South Korean tourists were rescued in open waters off Isla Verde on Tuesday after rough sea conditions swept them nearly four nautical miles away from their dive site in Puerto Galera, Mindoro.
The group had gone diving at Canyon Reef off Barangay Sinandigan. When deteriorating weather caused the divers to drift and fail to surface on schedule, their speedboat operator alerted local officials, prompting a search-and-rescue operation coordinated by the Philippine Coast Guard and local disaster response units.
The group was spotted roughly 3.12 nautical miles northwest of Barangay San Agustin. Responders aboard the passing ferry M/V FastCat M19 noticed a flashing distress light on the water, diverted course, and pulled a female diver aboard. The ferry crew helped track the remaining group members until a private vessel, Paradise Diving Boat 4, brought the two male divers out of the sea.
Following the operation, Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corp. (FastCat) Chairman Mary Ann Pastrana commended the responders for their swift action.
“At the heart of FastCat’s service is a responsibility that goes beyond transporting passengers and cargo — it is the responsibility to help, especially in times of distress at sea,” Pastrana said. “We are grateful that our FastCat crew was in a position to respond and assist in the rescue of one of the South Korean divers off Isla Verde, Batangas. For our seafarers, responding to someone in distress is not about recognition or reward. We serve without demand, because protecting life at sea is part of who we are.”
Pastrana added that maritime safety remains a core value across all operations.
“This incident reminds us that the sea connects all of us,” she said. “Regardless of nationality, circumstance, or whether someone is our passenger, when a life is in danger, we have a duty to respond. We commend our FastCat officers and crew for their vigilance, readiness, and compassion, and we likewise recognize the other responders whose collective efforts brought all three divers to safety.”
All three tourists were brought ashore to Barangay Sabang, where medical personnel confirmed they were uninjured. Maritime authorities are conducting a routine investigation into the incident.