MEMORIES of a brave swim for survival prompted Kia islanders in Vanua Levu to applaud new, stringent Fiji Islands and Maritime Safety laws on safe sea travel.
Sometimes in June 2002, an overloaded Kia boat left Labasa at about midday for the island with nine women, a seven-year-old boy and two men with other cargo.
Midway to the island, about a two-hour boat ride from Labasa towards Rotuma, the boat hit a wave, overturned and sank.
Yaro Village headman Samuela Cagimaiwasa said there was just too much load.
"Everyone started screaming and were thrown overboard," he said.
"We emptied gallons of fuel and some held on to them while others grabbed boards and we started swimming for Kia," he said.
"That was around 1pm."
Sixty-year-old Veresi Rasega grabbed on to the rope of the boat and said he could no longer swim.
Seruwaia Bukasega, 46, and her son, Ece Takawai, 7, swam for another fishing boat they spotted.
"I placed him on the board and swam along. I told him we were in the path of death and that he must be brave," she said.
"At about 10pm, we hit a reef and started screaming for help and the boat came for us."
The other eight women and Mr Cagimaiwasa were still swimming for Kia.
"We came to a reef and I handed out a few apples to give us more energy for the next lap of swimming," he said. "By 4am I hit the shore."
The women's screams for help were heard by villagers of Yaro who ran to their rescue. "We could have died, God spared us and we need to live by the rules."
"We travel a lot by sea and we need to abide by the rules and not think that because we are a people who live by the sea we know better.
"Its good that the laws are now strict about passenger and loading numbers."