My Adventure Tragedy #1

ENGLISH

I would like to share my adventure tragedy events. This is not to brag or anything else. This will just be my remembrance since the many uncountable moments that I have carved through adventures that I might forget in the future. So, here I write it down and I will post it one by one just so I will not forget this valuable experience and hoping that you would learn from my experiences too.

Tanjung Setia Beach, Lampung

Year: 2011

I was done shooting for one of my episodes for Pelesir (Travelling Programme) where we were covering about the local kids surfing in Tanjung Setia Beach, Lampung.

The topography of the beach was reef flat then a sea trench somewhere on the right side of the beach. The beach was naturally wild with sea biota and it was low tide during that time. The area was a surfing spot for professional surfers. It was a gloomy weather, very grey sky and we need to cover the travelling episode. The locals told us that it wasn’t possible to shoot over the area because of the weather mostly but we forced ourselves and assured them that we will not be covering the local kids surfing far away from the beach. It was definitely not a recommended place for starters because you would fall and might scrape against the corals. It was very sharp I tell you! I had to borrow a pair of booties from one of the kids (Well, I was still a starter for adventure activities during that time). The local kids were professional surfers trained and supported by foreign surfers who came for the wave season in Tanjung Setia Beach.

Once the shooting was done. Everything was alright. I said to myself to relax by the beach and sit down on the sand. My TV crew were so excited since its time for them to have fun at the sea accompanied by the local kids. Some grab body boards and surfing board. I was alone sitting down watching them all in joy. So, I was attracted and decided to join them. I tell you first, that I was LUCKY to grab a BODY BOARD. Then I swam where they were swimming and playing around. You know that you could still stand at some places because of the low tide. I wasn’t aware at first that I was dragged slowly towards the trench area. One of the local kid instructed me and also the others to get back to the middle because we have been a little bit too far. Then my crew and the local kids slowly shifted away towards near the shore again. Right after that, I realised that I was struggling with my movement because the tide was trying to pull me away toward the ocean while I paddle myself towards the shore. Literally, I was just at the same spot no matter how hard I push myself swimming forward. I was confused. The others seem to managed pushing their selves back and what makes me a little bit nervous was a local friend of mine shouted at me ‘Balu!’ a local language that meant white shark. He also sounded like saying ‘balok’ which meant a log in Indonesian language. So, I didn’t let myself think whether it was a shark or a log, I was in full effort trying to push myself towards the shore and get over with it. I felt a negative feeling appears from inside my stomach going upwards to my head. The funny thing was he was smiling at that time when he shouted at me and later I knew that he was actually joking about it. It wasn’t funny for me that time which made me a little mad and I thought that I have shouted back at him something like ‘It’s not funny!’ and my local friend actually had the same thought on me like ‘why-Fiona-looks-so-serious-I-am-confused’. So, can you imagine during that situation, everything collides at once in a fast phase; the tide tries to pull me away; my local friend pointed towards my area and shouted about a shark; AND I was RIGHT IN TIME to see a big wave right behind me. My cameraman captures my situation then shouted at me immediately, ‘Fiona!!! Don’t let go of the body board!’ but I also shouted at him to not let go of his surfing board because it might hit anyone. Uh-Oh I think we were all in panic situation now. Although I was scared or panicking, instantly I pushed away all my negative feelings and emit positive thoughts and feelings – I know this sounded crazy during that period of time. Well I got nothing else to do and rely to ALMIGHTY GOD! I was standing somewhere at the flat reef ( far as I remember my position was where my hips was levelled to the coral in front of me where I tried to also lock my feet somewhere there from the tide pulling. You know, when you try to play body board, you have to catch the right wave, don’t you? As I look back, my only hope was a good timing for me to jump on my body board. When I thought it was the right time – the back edge of my bodyboard was already sticking at my hips- I jumped and lay my body as straight as could be while gripping tightly the front edge of my bodyboard and trying so hard to keep it balance at the same time. It was such a challenge! I let the energetic big wave push my back until wherever it will push me and I prayed to Allah for balancing my bodyboard and not tipping it over where I know some part of my body will be scraped from the corals. That! I cannot imagine! Or if I was panic until my whole body freezes, I am pretty sure my body would be broken by the big wave hitting me against the corals that were levelled to my hips in front of me. Well, let’s just not imagine that! Once the curious wave was over with the pushing, I was slightly by the shore. I stood up acting coolly and had an instant relief because the body board did not turn over and that I was alright. Thank God! My cameraman ran towards me grabbing my arm so tightly and making me sure that I’m alright; ‘Fio! Are you alright? You’re a nice person!’ and those are the words that I remember the most from him. And, of course I said ‘I’m alright’ and acting okay. Although my legs were a little bit wobbly from the situation. My cameraman pointed to my foot and said ‘Your feet!’ Then I realised, there were some blood trickling near the nails of my right foot. Everybody gathered around me asking about me and took me to the beach. I was so grateful and glad that I TOOK the BODY BOARD! Imagine if I didn’t. Ah!

I didn’t feel pain until I took a shower and went to clean my feet from the coral wounds. I felt grateful that I was saved from the tragedy until I called my Mum and asked how she was doing. There were cuts near my nails also at my two feet palms when I checked and it felt pounding with pain. I cleaned it with the only first aid kit that I have brought inside my travelling bag since there was no drugstore and doctor nearby. A cotton bud, betadine (a brown colour antiseptic in a tiny yellow bottle) and a band aid. That was all I have! I clean my cut from dirt including sands that were sticking inside the wound that 1 or 2 grains of sand were about to crust within my skin that I had to peel it off as soon as possible. Besides that, there were something like a tiny part of leaf from a sea plant. My crews were just cringing looking at me cleaning my own wounds. And I have to do this nearly every day until I came back to Jakarta and walking was a little bit disturbing for me because of the cuts at my two feet palms. It was an annoying feeling. Anyways, as we were road tripping back to Jakarta, we stopped by at our cameraman’s relatives – still at Lampung area-  which happens to be a doctor! There he gave me some medicine and we all went home.

Moral of the story:

1. Listen to the locals.

2. Always safety first. Wear your adventure and safety gears!

3. Don’t panic in any kind of situation.

Indonesian Summary

Pantai Tanjung Setia, Lampung

Tahun: 2011

Tragedy petualangan saya yang ini adalah ketika baru selesai shooting buat program travelling saya yang bernama Pelesir. Lokasinya berada di Pantai Tanjung Setia, Lampung. Pantai ini hanya cocok bagi para peselancar professional karena topografinya berkoral dan ada palung laut disebelah kanan pantai. Pantai ini diminati oleh peselancar-peselancar mancanegara bukan hanya karena ombaknya saja tetapi karena tantangannya. Anak-anak local yang kami ajak surfing adalah peselancar professional yang didukung dan diajarkan oleh surfer-surfer dari luar negeri tersebut. Kami memang dinasehati pada saat itu untuk sebaiknya tidak shooting karena kondisi cuaca sangat mendung dan langit gelap. Tapi karena kami pikir kami hanya shooting 1 segment saja kami memaksakan diri dan meyakinkan orang – orang local bahwa kami hanya shooting diarea yang dekat –dekat saja dan hanya sebentar. Memang pada saat itu shooting selesai. Saya begitu salut sama anak-anak local tersebut karena kalau jatuh saja pasti akan terkena goresan koral. Mereka adalah anak-anak yang tangguh. Saya saja cobain dan tidak mau terlalu heboh karena pastinya sangat berbahaya apalagi saya masih belajar dan baru pegang papan selancar untuk pertama kalinya pada saat itu. Selesai shooting saya berniat istirahat dan hanya duduk di pasir pantai. Tapi ketika melihat crew dan anak-anak local bermain di laut dengan bahagianya, saya jadi tertarik untuk gabung sama mereka. Beruntung sekali saya membawa body board. Jadi ketika saya bergabung sama mereka, tanpa disadari juga saya terseret perlahan-lahan kearah palung laut. Ada salah satu anak local memerintahkan kami semua untuk kembali kearah tengah karena kita sudah agak jauh dari posisi tengah. Saya lalu berusaha berenang ke tengah ataupun kearah tepian pantai. Oh ya, karena pada saat itu keadaan masih surut jadi kita bisa berjalan sampai ketengah lautan loh. Pantai tersebut masih sangat liar dengan biota laut yang masih alami. Saya mengalami kesulitan untuk berenang maju dan pada saat itu juga saya baru sadar bahwa ini adalah akibat dari tarikan ombak yang perlahan-lahan sepertinya akan pasang. Saya mulai merasakan hal yang tidak enak. Pada saat itu juga semua kejadian melebur menjadi satu dan kejadiannya begitu cepat.  Pada saat saya berusaha berenang maju dan menoleh kepada sahabat local saya, dia malah berteriak ‘Balu’! yang artinya hiu putih. Tapi pendengaran saya pada saat itu juga mendengar dia berkata seperti ucapan kata ‘Balok!’ karena aksen lokalnya yang cukup kental. Saya akhirnya tidak berpikir apa-apa dan berusaha keras untuk bisa berenang ke tepian. Saat itu juga, saya sudah mulai dalam keadaan sedikit gugup bercampur panik dan sepertinya saya sempat berteriak ‘Itu nggak lucu!’ kearah sahabat local saya. Anehnya saya melihat raut muka sahabatku waktu itu dia seperti tersenyum dan setelah ini semua saya baru tau bahwa dia hanyalah bercanda. Dia sebelumnya- pada saat tragedy tersebut – sempat mengira kenapa Fiona mukanya tiba-tiba berubah serius. Lalu, ketika saya menoleh kebelakang tepat pada waktunya ada ombak yang besar yang akan menghampiri kita. Kameraman saya sepertinya menangkap situasi yang sedang saya alami. Dia sampai berteriak, ‘Fiona jangan lepaskan body boardnya!’ dan saya juga sempat bilang sama dia untuk menjaga papan selancarnya karena bisa menghantam siapapun. Uh-oh, sepertinya kita sudah mulai merasa panik. Jadi nggak kebayangkan semua kejadiannya menjadi satu mulai dari teman lokalku berteriak balu, tarikan ombak yang membuat saya berjuang untuk fokus maju menuju pantai dan ombak besar yang berada di belakangku. Well, kalian tau kan ketika bermain body board kalian harus menangkap ombak yang tepat. Pada saat itu, saya sudah bersedia dengan ujung belakang bodyboard yang sudah menempel di pinggulku. Seketika saya hanya berusaha untuk berpikir dan merasakan hal-hal positif dan berdoa kepada Allah agar saya selamat. Ya kedengarannya memang hal yang tidak memungkinkan tetapi saya berusaha tenang, focus, berdoa dan mengambil ombak yang tepat agar saya bisa naik body board untuk penyelamatan diri. Ketika saya merasakan ukuran waktu yang pas untuk saya loncat dan baring lurus di body board, saya melakukan aksi loncat dan berbaring pas pada waktunya dan membiarkan ombak besar tersebut mendorong saya sampai dia kehendaki sambil saya berdoa kepada Allah agar bodyboard saya tidak terbalik. Saya memegang erat sekali papanku dan berusaha menyeimbangkan badan dengan kekuatan ombak besar yang ada dibelakangku. Ah, saya tidak bisa membayangkan kalau papan saya terbalik, pasti badan saya akan habis tergerus oleh koral-koral. Atau jika pada saat itu saya panic sampai-sampai badan tiba-tiba membeku rasanya tidak bisa bergerak, kemungkinan besar badan saya akan patah terhantam koral didepan saya yang tingginya sepinggul. Ah, mari kita bayangin yang positif-positif saja yuk! Saya sangat bersyukur saya telah MEMBAWA body board pada saat itu! Ketika saya sudah terhenti dan sudah hampir dekat ke tepian pantai, kameraman saya langsung berlari dan memegang erat tanganku sambil berkata ‘Fiona, kamu nggak apa-apa? Kamu orang baik soalnya!’ Itu ucapan yang paling saya ingat dari dia. Tentunya saya dengan sikap cool menjawab ’Ya, semuanya baik-baik saja!’ Walaupun kaki saya terasa sedikit gemetar dari tragedy tersebut. Lalu kameranku kembali berteriak ‘Itu lihat kaki kamu!’ dan saya baru menyadari bahwa jemari kuku kakiku terluka disebelah kanan. Semua orang kemudian menghampiri saya dan menemani saya ke tepian pantai.

Saya tidak merasakan sakit sampai setelah saya mandi dan hendak membersihkan luka-luka. Saya merasa sangat bersyukur sekali bahwa saya masih diselamatkan sampai-sampai saya menelepon Ibu saya dan menanyakan kabarnya. Ternyata selain luka goresan koral di area kuku saya, di bagian kedua telapak kaki saya juga ada goresan yang lumayan. Dengan modal pertolongan pertama yang saya bawa, saya menggunakan cotton bud, betadine dan plaster buat luka saja. Di area Pantai Tanjung Setia memang tidak ada toko obat ataupun dokter pada saat itu. Alhasil, saya harus bersikap mandiri dan membersihkan luka saya sendiri. Saya membersihkan kotoran seperti butiran pasir yang menyelinap masuk ke dalam goresan luka dan ada 2 sampai 3 butir yang sudah hampir menyatu dengan kulit sehingga saya harus mengoreknya dan ada juga seperti serpihan daun tanaman laut yang menempel dengan susahnya di dalam lukaku tersebut. Rasa sakitnya agak menyebalkan apalagi ketika saya berjalan kaki. Saya harus terbiasa dengan rasa sakit snut – snut di area telapak kaki saya. Pada saat kita road trip balik ke Jakarta, kita menyempatkan mampir ke saudaranya kameraman kami yang masih di area Lampung yang ternyata adalah seorang dokter. Disitulah saya di check dan dibekali obat pulang.

Cerita Moralnya adalah:

1. Dengarkan orang-orang lokal

2. Selalu mementingkan keselamatan. Gunakan peralatan dan perlengkapan petualangan dan keselamatanmu!

3. Jangan panik dalam situasi apapun.