Pete Bethune said the situation was potentially life and death. Photo / Supplied
Pete Bethune said the situation was potentially life and death. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand conservationist Pete Bethune has survived a terrifying midnight attack by armed men off the coast of South America that echoes the infamous murder of yachting legend Sir Peter Blake.
Bethune, a conservationist who has long battled whalers and polluters on the high seas, revealed that his crew were all safe but a little "shaken up" by the pirates' raid.
Earthrace Conservation said the vessel Modoc was at anchor on the night of March 8 when six small vessels with an estimated 15 men on board approached.
Crew member Brad Rooke was on security detail when he first noticed what he says "looked like a small flotilla of boats passing across our bow".
Such a flotilla was not unusual, Rooke says, but they then approached the Modoc's bow before a couple of them cut their engines and began to drift down the port side.
"Appa, our Belgian Malinois security dog, was going berserk at them," Rooke revealed.
"I still hadn't realised that they were pirates. One boat was towing another, I guessed that they might need help with possible engine problems. Then I realised they had latched onto the side of our ship and were clambering up. This was an ambush."
Warning shots fired from an assault rifle scared off most of the pirates, but two made it to the ship's railing and tried to clamber aboard before torchlight and more warning shots sent them scrambling back to their skiffs.
The pirate flotilla then drifted away, shouting at the Modoc's crew.
Bethune said the attack appeared to be well coordinated.
"Six boats all approached together. They all cut their engines at the same time, and drifted quietly down the side of our ship. They had prepared hooks to attach to the side of the ship, and latched onto us to attempt to board at the same time."
"Most probably they had firearms, but when they are climbing up the side of the vessel, their hands are too busy to be shooting. Once aboard it's a different matter of course.
"Regardless, it is likely that if the bulk of the pirates had managed the boarding, things would have gotten really ugly."
The conservation vessel Modoc. Photo / Supplied
Bethune was full of praise for his crew who, he said, had prepared for this eventuality and remained on high alert for the pirate's possible return.
"Everyone did what they were supposed to do, and the end result was no one was killed or injured, and the boat remained secure. But it still shook us all up to be in another possible life or death encounter."
Bethune was reluctant to give away his location, other than to say it's in South America.
"We work closely with authorities here on joint conservation operations, and don't wish to jeopardise this relationship."
It was off the coast of South America where a group of pirates took the life of yachting hero Sir Peter Blake in 2001.
Blake, 53, was shot and killed by armed intruders who boarded his "blakexpeditions" vessel Seamaster. He died instantly despite desperate resuscitation efforts by crew members.
The violent death of Blake, the world's most famous sailor at the time, had international repercussions.
Knighted in 1995, Blake was monitoring global warming and pollution on the Amazon for the United Nations when his Seamaster boat was attacked by armed robbers wearing balaclavas and crash helmets.
Blake was fatally shot in the back by one of the assailants after a rifle he had used to defend himself and his crew malfunctioned.
The attackers fled with an outboard motor and watches after injuring two other crew members with knives.
Ricardo Colares Tavares, who shot the Kiwi sailor dead, was later sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Pete Bethune's snake bite injury. Photo / Supplied
Snake bite horror
The attack is the latest of high-profile scrapes for Bethune, who hit headlines in 2020 after he was bitten by a venomous snake in the jungles of Costa Rica.
Bethune was bitten by a fer-de-lance viper on Boxing Day 2020, which left him with gruesome injuries.
Bethune said at the time he would return to the jungle, despite the snake bite.
He said every year more than 100 rangers were killed, and every week about four environmental activists were killed - more than 200 a year.
"Because I'm a white guy from New Zealand does not give me a free pass to do the safe stuff. The rangers in Costa Rica and Africa and Asia, all of these rangers face risks, including getting bitten by snakes. I have no ambition to side-step the job and just take on the safe things.
"I don't go out and seek risks, but there's a job that my team has here and I'm determined to play my part in it and there's risk that comes with that. Been bitten by a snake, it gave me my best shot, I'm still alive - and the snake is still alive, which is a good thing."
