Tourist's Terrifying Turtle Tour: Unsafe Practices Alleged in Cook Islands

A New Zealand tourist, Emily Yu, recently had a frightening experience during a Cook Islands turtle tour. She told tour operator Tuhe Piho, also known as Papa Turtle, that she couldn't swim, but he assured her he would keep her safe. Instead, she drifted towards the open sea in the notorious Avaavaroa Passage and had to be rescued by another tour operator. "I thought I might die," Yu said. A NZ Herald investigation found over a dozen similar allegations of unsafe practices against Piho. The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation acknowledged Piho's history of overcommitting, exceeding safe capacity limits. Police issued Piho a warning. This incident raises serious concerns about safety regulations in the Cook Islands tourism sector.