Greece Travel

"Worst Nightmare": Couple Stranded in Middle of Mediterranean

A British couple were left stranded in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea when the key snapped off in the ignition of their hired speedboat.

Leah Worthington and her boyfriend Frank Kuofie, both age 24, from London were on a romantic holiday in Rhodes, the largest for the Dodecanese islands of Greece.

With no emergency contact details for the boat hire company on board and her boyfriend Kuofie unable to swim, the couple started to panic as they realised how far they were from the shore and the sun began to set.

"We were rocking a bit more and the boat was floating away because we didn't have the anchor down," Worthington told Deadline News.

"Oh and on top of that my boyfriend can't swim, so he was stressed out."

The couple managed to document the ordeal on a TikTok video that has gone viral with the text, “'That time we rented a boat in Greece and the key snapped in the ignition when we were out at sea.'

The video, which has amassed over 410,000 views and 30,000 likes, shows the couple initially sunbathing and speeding around in the boat.

Things take a dramatic turn for the worse on the video when non-swimmer Kuofie is shown turning the key in the ignition and it snapping in two.

With no other boats nearby Kuofie looks dismayed as he holds up one half of the key realising they are in trouble. The camera then pans around to show the boat drifting in the middle of the sea.

“The people that rented the boat to us were supposed to give us their number so in an emergency they can send out a rescue boat or someone to come and save us, but they must have been in a rush and they forgot to give us the number before we went,” explains Worthington.

Panicking, the couple managed to find the number for another boat company nearby, however despite making several frantic calls there was no answer.

Thankfully, with a bit of persistence, Frank was able to turn the tiny piece of key that was still in the ignition and drive back to the beach and to safety.

“I’d pass away there and then WTH,” commented one TikTok watcher, with another adding “Worst nightmare don’t know what I would have done.”

Back on dry land with the ordeal behind them, Worthington and Kuofie confirmed that there was no fine imposed upon them from the boat hire company for breaking the key.

Read also: The Best Greek One-Liners

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Natalie Martin

Natalie Martin is editor and journalist at Greek City Times, specialising in writing feature articles and exclusive interviews with Greek personalities and celebrities. Natalie focuses on bringing authentic stories to life and crafting compelling narratives. Her talent for storytelling and compassionate approach to journalism ensure that every article connects with readers around the world.

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