Family Demands Answers After 80-Year-Old Left Behind by Cruise Ship and Found Dead on Remote Island

An Australian family is demanding answers after 80-year-old Suzanne Rees was found dead on Lizard Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef, after being left behind by her cruise ship.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday, 25th October, when Ms Rees, from New South Wales, joined fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer on a guided hike to Cook’s Look, the island’s highest peak.

The vessel, which was on the first leg of a 60-day circumnavigation of Australia, departed the island at sunset before realising several hours later that one of its guests was missing.

When the ship returned, a large-scale search was launched involving the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), local police, and helicopters using spotlights to sweep the island through the night. Her body was discovered the following morning.

Queensland Police said a report into the “sudden and non-suspicious death” would be prepared for the coroner.

Daughter Accuses Operator of “Failure of Care and Common Sense”

Speaking publicly for the first time, Ms Rees’s daughter Katherine Rees said she was “shocked and saddened” that the Coral Adventurer had left “without my mum”, whom she described as healthy, active, a keen gardener and bushwalker.

“From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense,” she said.

She added that police had told the family it was a hot day when her mother began to feel unwell on the climb.

“She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,” Ms Rees said.

She now hopes a coronial inquiry will “find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life”.

Search Effort and Investigation

A spokesperson for AMSA confirmed it was first alerted to the missing woman around 9 pm on Saturday by the ship’s captain. Search crews returned to the island but called off operations in the early hours before resuming at first light on Sunday, when Ms Rees’s body was found.

Witness Traci Ayris, who was sailing nearby, told the ABC that she saw search helicopters circling the island during the night.

“We knew she was dead because they called everyone back from the search immediately,” she said. “And no-one went to the spot that the chopper was hovering over until later that day when the police arrived.”

Ms Ayris described the mood among those nearby as “very sad in this paradise to have this tragedy occur. It should have been a happy time for that lovely lady.”

AMSA said it takes the safety of passengers and crew on commercial vessels “very seriously” and is working with Queensland Police and other agencies to investigate.

The Coral Adventurer’s operator, Coral Expeditions, confirmed that staff had contacted the family and were offering support.

“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family,” said Mark Fifield, the company’s chief executive. “We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation.”

Questions Over Cruise Procedures

The Coral Adventurer carries up to 120 passengers with 46 crew and operates small-boat tenders to transport guests to remote shore excursions.

The ship has since continued its voyage to Darwin, though an investigation will take place once it docks.

Every cruise I have sailed on has systems in place to help track guests who have gone ashore, to make sure nothing like this happens.

If someone doesn’t return to the ship, the ship may leave if it assumes they have gone exploring on their own, or via a third party tour, and not made it back to the ship.

But they would definitely make contact with the missing guest, or alert the authorities if they noticed an elderly guest hadn’t returned and was likely alone.

As the investigation continues, Ms Rees’s family says they hope her death will prompt a review of how expedition cruise operators monitor guests ashore.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.