Among the first to be rescued, Captain Lee Joon-seok is seen scrambling onto dry land in his underwear, as hundreds of passengers remain stuck on the stricken vessel.
Passengers on board the ferry, including 325 students on a school trip, were told repeatedly to put lifejackets on but to stay where they were.
Tragically, the vast majority of passengers on board the ship obeyed these orders, even as it began to list dangerously to the side and sink further under the water.
In one phone message from a young teenage passenger to his father, you can even hear the loudspeaker repeating the message: 'We ask you again, do not move from your current location.'
The captain and several other crew members were some of the first to be rescued from the sinking ship, but did not identify themselves to their rescuers, who only found out later that they weren't passengers.
Speaking to CNN, the rescue team described how when they arrived the vessel was leaning so dangerously to the side they sounded the alarm immediately and began announcements telling people to abandon ship.
In South Korea it is a maritime crime for the captain to abandon ship.
The ferry had 476 people on board - 183 of which have already been confirmed dead. Over a hundred are still missing, presumed drowned.
Watch the footage from inside the ship here: