MANILA, Philippines — A total of 11 foreign tourists consisting of Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian and Australian nationals were rescued by elements of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) late afternoon of Sunday after encountering giant waves while having a kayaking and canoeing adventure along Sabtang Island in Basco, Batanes.

Captain George Ursabia, district commander of the Coast Guard Northern Luzon (CGNLZ), said that the PCG Basco Station received an urgent phone call from Batanes Governor Vicente Gato reporting that 11 Singaporean nationals were in distress after their boat was hammered by giant waves and rough sea condition somewhere in Sabtang Island while conducting kayaking activities in the island.

“The sea condition that time was very rough due to northeast monsoon (amihan) phenomenon in the area which caused their kayak boat to capsize,” Ursabia said.

He added that this rough sea phenomenon along the eastern part of Batanes usually last from September until February during the height of the northeast monsoon winds.

The CGNLZ district commander immediately dispatched four rescue teams at 5:15 p.m. and were able to rescued nine of the 11 distressed tourists in which two of them managed to return to Sabtang Island on their own before being placed by the PCG to safety, four were able to reach the Port of Basco at 6 p.m. while the other three were rescued by the Coast Guard Station-Basco at vicinity around six nautical miles from the town’s shoreline.

The two earlier missing were finally rescued at 11:45 p.m. and safely arrived at the port terminal.

Ursabia later identified the survivors as Sim Cher Huey, Chan Tau Chou, Carol Leung Ho Wing, Karen Chao Sin Hui, Ong Yong Hui, Amos Sim, David Cho Kah Long and Khor Yong Kok, all Singaporean nationals; Tin Kam Kathy Wong, an Australian; Umartono Bimo, an Indonesian; and Moira Khaw, a Malaysian national.