Perth friends Jason Tabrum and Kyle Preece are stuck on board a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico, as the country prepares for a possible tsunami.
The pair, both from West Leederville in Western Australia, boarded the Carnival Victory in Miami and were set to enjoy a fun-filled cruise before realising the danger that Hurricane Irma posed to Florida.
Speaking to PerthNow, the pair said they had to make a decision between leaving the cruise and risking a likely cancelled flight to Las Vegas, or staying on the boat.
Jason Tabrum (left) and Kyle Preece (right), both from Perth, are stuck at sea off the coast of Mexico between tsunami warnings and Hurricane Irma
‘We are roughly tracking a day ahead of the hurricane, we are headed past Mexico at this rate however Mexico just had its largest earthquake in a century and are at risk of tsunami, the coast is also being evacuated,’ Mr Preece told the publication.
‘We are not sure when we will return to Miami for the aftermath, but we will not be docking anywhere and are stuck on the boat for days.’
The ship was making its way past Key West and heading towards the Mexican coast on Saturday.
Mr Preece said there were initially around 2700 passengers on the ship, but that number has now dropped between 200-300.
Before the storm: Mr Preece’s Facebook post just days before the earthquake in Mexico stranded the pair at sea
View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin island in the Caribbean
At least 61 people have been reported dead after a massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico on Wednesday night.
It is one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded for the nation and hit just days after Hurricane Irma began its landfall in the Caribbean.
Both Mr Preece and Mr Tabrum said they’ve been spending their time on the cruise watching the news and hoping to make it back to land before Thursday, when they are expecting to fly home.
While the timing has meant their holiday has been interrupted, the pair said they’re still worried about the citizens in Florida and Mexico.
Three Hurricanes, Irma, Jose and Kaita, are expected to make landfall on Sunday in Florida
‘It’s definitely going to be an experience I don’t think we’ll ever forget, but it’s not great timing for a holiday. It’s just unfortunate really,’ Mr Preece said.
‘Most people remaining on the cruise are still smiling but you can tell everyone’s pretty concerned with what’s going on and stuff.’
Many people, mostly citizens of Florida, disembarked the ship to rush home and board their houses and collect their belongings and pets, the pair said.
While it could ‘definitely be worse’ for the Perth friends, the swell where they were on Saturday was still quite rough.
In a freak weather event, Hurricane Irma is expected to make landfall in Florida on Sunday, around the same time as two other hurricanes, Jose and Kaita.
It also comes just a month after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas.