Cruise Ship Guests Stranded by Rapid Tide on Remote Island
When they promise an expedition cruise, Silversea delivers.
But what started as a remote island excursion on June 26, 2025, turned unexpectedly tense for dozens of Silversea cruise guests when a fast-moving tide stranded a group off the northern coast of Western Australia on Thursday.
About 70 passengers and 10 guides from the cruise line’s 254-passenger Silver Cloud expedition ship were caught off guard while exploring Adele Island, roughly 60 miles north of the mainland.
The group was taking part in a guided zodiac boat tour when shifting tides grounded several vessels and left guests knee-deep in water, unable to return to the ship.
According to one passenger, who shared details of the mishap on social media, the incident escalated quickly.
“What started as a fabulous trip across to Adele Island ended with all 100 odd passengers and staff getting caught by the rapid tide going out and stranding us on the wrong side of the deeper part of the water to get our zodiacs back to the ship,” he shared.
With the zodiacs stranded in shallow water, those passengers were forced to wade through roughly 547 yards – more than five football fields – across coral beds to reach deeper water.
There, they were met by other zodiacs dispatched from Silver Cloud to complete the rescue.
Most of the group was brought back aboard the ship by sunset, where the medical crew treated guests for minor scrapes and twisted ankles.
At around 8 p.m. local time, the ship’s captain announced that 10 passengers and some crew were still waiting for the tide to turn and could not yet be retrieved.
At press time, nearly 4 hours later, Cruise Hive’s Ship Tracker indicated the vessel was still maneuvering near Adele Island, awaiting high tide. Tide forecasts reported that a second high tide of the day would occur by 11:59 p.m. local time, bringing the water levels up by more than 20 feet.
The forecasts also show that a low tide occurred at 5:48 p.m. local time, with water levels dipping to -0.62 feet, raising questions about how expedition timing and tidal movements were assessed.
Thankfully, weather reports indicate 80-degree highs and 74-degree lows, but zodiacs are not equipped with food and beverages to sustain stranded passengers for that duration.
Several guests described the scene as chaotic, with photos shared by passengers showing the group walking through knee- to thigh-deep water, assisted by Silversea crew.
Although some passengers maintained a sense of humor about the ordeal, joking that it was an expedition cruise, others noted it was unusual for Silversea’s experienced expedition team to be caught off guard by environmental conditions.
Silversea has not yet released an official statement about the incident.
Sailing the Kimberley
The 16,800-gross-ton Silver Cloud, which features 20 zodiacs used almost daily, is on a 10-day, round-trip voyage from Darwin, Australia.
Read Also: What is an Expedition Cruise?
Known for its polar voyages, the luxury cruise line’s Kimberley Coast expedition cruises visit islands only available by sea. It calls “the Kimberley” a “wild and remote region,” the size of France, and “untouched by humans other than the ancient Indigenous engravings you’ll find on the walls of the caves.”
The vessel visited the Ashmore Islands via zodiacs on June 25, 2025, without incident, and is now stuck in Adele Island.
The delayed voyage will continue to the Buccaneer Archipelago on June 27, Yawajaba-Montgomery Island, Jar Island, and more remote islands along Australia’s Western coast before returning to Darwin on July 2.