Pilot Relives How He Escaped Volcano Eruption by Jumping Into Sea: ‘I Hit the Water, It Went Black’

“The water is what saved us,” the Belgium-born pilot told and Australian court.

A helicopter pilot relived the moment he and two of his passengers ran from an erupting New Zealand volcano and jumped into the ocean.

Brian Depauw testified at the Auckland District Court in Australia on Thursday, during the 16 week trial of three tourism companies and three directors. While on the witness stand, he recalled the harrowing day, according to the Associated Press.

“The water is what saved us,” the Belgium-born pilot — who was working for tour operator Volcanic Air at the time and had taken four passengers to White Island where the volcano erupted in 2019 —told the court.

He testified that he and his four German passengers were five of the 47 people on White Island, when superheated gasses erupted. 22 people were killed in the eruption and many of the 25 survivors were severely burned.

Depauw, who now lives in Canada, had only been working for the tour operator for a few weeks and was making his first unsupervised flight on the day the volcano erupted. Per a report from the New Zealand Herald, the pilot told the court that while on the island, he heard a thud.

Related: Jesse Langford Recalls Horror of Volcanic Eruption that Killed His Family: 'Everything Started Going Black'

“I looked behind me and saw the plume going up," Depauw said, before telling his passengers to run. According to the outlet, Depauw shared that he ran 200 meters into the ocean and was at times in darkness underwater as he dived down to protect himself from the hot ash.

“The minute I hit the water, it went black. The ash came and obviously hit us and I couldn’t see anything,” Depauw said, per AP. He told the court that he spent up to two minutes underwater, waiting for the ash to clear, and then found the two passengers who had made it into the water with him, before all three were picked up by an inflatable that was taking survivors to a larger boat.

With only minor injuries included a cut knee, a pulled back muscle and temporary ash irritation to his eyes, Depauw remained on the inflatable and helped others.

Related: Woman Whose Dad and Sister Were Killed in New Zealand Volcano Eruption Marks Her 'Burnversary'

According to the New Zealand Herald, Depauw described the "panic" and "screaming" he witnessed in the aftermath of the volcano's eruption, as well as what he saw while helping victims.

“You’d hold them and their skin would just fall off. That was when you realised there were quite a few burn victims" Depauw said.

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During his time in the witness box, Depauw also explained that while giving safety instructions to his passengers, he had told them they must follow his lead in the event of an emergency. “If you see me run -- I always kind of make a joke -- follow me as well,” he said.

However, two of the pilot's four passengers didn’t make it to the water and were “burnt quite badly,” Depauw said, per AP. The pilot also said he thought there would be warning signs prior to the volcano erupting and wasn’t aware that the volcano had erupted as recently as 2016.

Related: 5 Killed, Several Injured or Missing After Volcano Erupts in New Zealand: 'No Signs of Life'

“The way I understood it was there would be some signs and some time to vacate the island." Depauw told prosecutor Steve Symons.

The island’s owners and their company Whakaari Management Ltd. in addition to tour operators ID Tours NZ Ltd. and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd. have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Each of the companies faces a maximum fine of $927,000.

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