THE FASTEST GIRL IN SOMALIA Episode 5: The Sea

Rebecca Seidel (0:08)

Good morning, I'm here in Syracuse Port. We got our backpacks and our gear and passports.

SPEAKER_2 (0:19)

Wait, Teresa, I think I might see it.

Teresa Krug (0:23)

In March 2026, almost 14 years to the date, Samia took her fateful journey across the Mediterranean. Audio producer Becca Seidel and I stood on a dock in Sicily.

We were watching a migrant rescue vessel approach.

SPEAKER_4 (0:39)

It looks like the Ocean Viking is approaching.

Rebecca Seidel (0:43)

It appears to be getting closer and closer.

Teresa Krug (0:46)

We were about to embed ourselves with a search and rescue crew, headed for international waters near Libya.

Rebecca Seidel (0:53)

I'm hopeful that this experience will give us a better idea of what it's like to be at least at sea.

Teresa Krug (1:00)

As we stared out at the water, I thought about the hundreds of migrants who could be out at sea right now, in boats not equipped for the long journey, playing the odds.

Rebecca Seidel (1:12)

It's surreal to think that the people that we might meet in the next coming days have already left Libya and are out in the Mediterranean Sea somewhere.

Teresa Krug (1:26)

The Ocean Viking's Red Hole stood out against the sparkling blue water. It's one of the largest ships in the Mediterranean doing these types of rescues.

Rebecca Seidel (1:37)

I'm getting nervous. Chill.

SPEAKER_5 (1:38)

It'll all be fine.

Teresa Krug (1:40)

We walked on board and settled in for the journey.

SPEAKER_5 (1:47)

So I'll do a quick tour of the ship now, but you'll have a thorough one with all the different levels, and the back and everything.

Teresa Krug (1:58)

For more than a decade, I've tried to understand what happened to Samia in the Mediterranean Sea. I've spoken to a passenger who was on the boat with her. I've interviewed dozens of people who have taken a similar voyage to get a sense of what it's like to travel in these small, crowded vessels. And I've tried to wrap my head around the fact that thousands of people still attempt this crossing every year. Braving a sea that's become a graveyard for people trying to reach Europe. By the time we boarded the Ocean Viking in March, more than 600 people had already died or gone missing in the Mediterranean in 2026 It was one of the deadliest starts to a year, on record, in more than a decade.

I wanted to see this final resting place for so many other people with my own eyes. And get a chance to say goodbye to Samia.

I'm Teresa Krug. And from 30 for 30 Podcasts, this is The Fastest Girl In Somalia, Episode 5, The Sea.

SPEAKER_6 (3:17)

Before this, there's this.

As you celebrate the game, take a deeper look at its roots. The people grow in the grass, pave in the lots, weld in the goal posts, inspecting every football. The hard working people that make every Sunday possible. Carhartt is proud to outfit the crews behind the game. Visit carhartt.com/join the trades to learn more.

SPEAKER_7 (3:48)

This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18 plus.

Rebecca (4:17)

It's a nice day, actually. You've got some sun today, whereas sometimes we've been out here in the freezing rain.

SPEAKER_9 (4:24)

We're standing on the very top deck of the Ocean Viking with the team's post-rescue coordinator, Rebecca.

Teresa Krug (4:30)

She's in charge of the medical team on board. Right now, she's holding binoculars and leaning her arms on the railing to keep steady against the wind.

Rebecca (4:40)

So we find out about boats in distress through a variety of different ways. One of the ways we do this is by carrying out what we call a bridge watch. So this is members of our crew with binoculars standing on the front of the ship, and we're conducting a 360-degree look around the ship.

Teresa Krug (4:58)

After a few days at sea, we're finally at a search-and-rescue zone. It's a place where many migrant boats run into trouble.

So Rebecca and her fellow crew members are on alert. They conduct bridge watch all day and shifts.

Rebecca (5:13)

Some people are better at it than others, much the same as some people become radiologists as doctors because they're very good at spotting things like that. But we always during daylight hours, no matter whether it's winter or summer, we have crew out keeping an eye.