Imagine being on vacation, sipping margaritas, surrounded by the ocean from all sides, when all of a sudden, soldiers start boarding your moving ferry! You’d probably be scared for your life just like the many people aboard the Cross Channel ferry that was headed towards the UK when Royal Marines started boarding it as part of a ‘vital’ training exercise.

The boat, which had set sail France earlier, was packed with vacationers who were headed to the UK. It was stormed by Royal Marine Commandos and the Green Berets from the 539 Assault Squadron. Imagine the surprise of those on boards! We’re surprised no one jumped ship thinking it was under attack by pirates!

According to a Royal Navy Spokesperson, Commandos started to mount the moving ferry using high speed boats and specialist climbing equipment. The more you think of it the more it seems like a scene from a James Bond film to be honest.

The cherry on top was the fact that these were rough waters, genuinely making the whole thing something straight out of an action flick. The rather brave passengers seemed to be thrilled and crowded the decks to watch what was happening – whether that was a smart move or not is something we’ll never find out.

Captain Jack Denniss, of 539 Assault Squadron, based in Plymouth, said: “The Royal Marines are one of only a few forces in the UK trained to conduct this sort of operation, so it is vital we do this training regularly, under the most arduous conditions possible.”

Glad to know that our boys are prepared for anything and everything!

According to experts, the most difficult part of such an activity is embarking the vessel and it turns out that getting aboard a boat is often more dangerous than the enemy guarding it – now that’s something the movies will never show you!

“Success in such an endeavour requires rigorous training, courage and importantly, an expert coxswain who can stand up to the conditions,” the spokesperson added.

The only thing this leaves us sure about is that a) those were some lucky vacationers, no excitement can top this experience! And b) no rough seas can match the determination of our men and women in uniform.