An 80-year-old British tourist, identified as Suzanne Rees, tragically died on Lizard Island off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef after becoming separated from her cruise group — and before the ship reportedly departed without her.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, said her mother fell ill during an organized hike on the island, part of a £40,000 ($80,000), 60-day cruise aboard the Coral Adventurer. She was told to descend the mountain alone — and at some point afterward, she died.
“Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count,” Katherine told The Australian. “At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone.”
The family said they were “shocked and saddened” by what they described as a “failure of care and common sense,” after learning Suzanne wasn’t reported missing until about 6 p.m.
Authorities are now investigating why it took so long for the alarm to be raised and whether she could have been saved had help arrived sooner.
The tragedy unfolded on Saturday, when the Coral Adventurer anchored off Lizard Island — a remote area about 90 km northeast of Cooktown — for a day of hiking and snorkeling. Suzanne reportedly stopped to rest while climbing to Cook’s Look, the island’s highest summit, and lost her way on the return trek.
“The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realizing she was not there,” a source said. Another claimed she might have fallen from a cliff.
By the time the ship’s crew realized she was missing that evening, it had already sailed away. Tracking data shows the vessel turned back around and returned to the island at 2 a.m. Sunday, after the missing passenger was reported.
Nearby sailor Traci Ayris, who witnessed the incident, said on radio: “They did headcounts for snorkellers but not for other guests on the island. The last passengers got into the tender, and the ship left very soon after that. We even commented, ‘Wow, they left fast.’”
A helicopter search began around midnight, with seven crew members climbing the mountain by torchlight. The helicopter returned at dawn and located Suzanne’s body near Telstra Rock, the spot where she was last seen.
“She lay there all day and was finally airlifted just before 4 p.m.,” Ayris said. “It left us all feeling very sad for everyone involved.”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it was alerted around 9 p.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, the Coral Adventurer has continued its voyage toward Thursday Island.
In a statement, Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield confirmed the death, saying:
“We are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family. We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation.”
Police and the coroner are now examining how Suzanne became stranded — and whether a faster response could have saved her life.
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