Copyright abc
Suzanne Rees loved her garden. And she was an avid bushwalker. She was 80. Still healthy, still active and loving life. Just a week ago, she was embarking on an amazing cruise journey. But, one day into the trip, tragedy struck when Suzanne died alone on Lizard Island, 240 kilometres north of Cairns. As her grief-stricken family in Sydney mourns the woman they loved, they want answers as to how and why she died. As the ship continues its journey around the top of Australia, there are many more questions than answers. How was she alone? Why was the family told no-one from the tour company was escorting her on the island? And why did the ship leave Lizard Island, seemingly with no knowledge that Suzanne was not onboard that fateful night? When exactly did she die? And how? It was, according to ship tracking data, 7.32am on Friday, October 24, when the ship, the Coral Adventurer, left Cairns. The 94-metre passenger ship had capacity for 120 guests, with 60 state rooms and suites and 46 crew. The Coral Adventurer arrived at Lizard Island on Saturday morning. Also known as Jiigurru or Dyiigurra, it is in the northern area of the Great Barrier Reef and about 10 square kilometres in size. It has a luxury resort and a research station. Tourism brochures describe Lizard Island as being "truly secluded" from the rest of the world, with 24 sandy beaches and a lagoon. A magical and pristine paradise. The name Lizard Island came from James Cook, who is said to have commented in 1770 as he passed by the island that the only land animals to be seen were lizards. On offer to the Coral Adventurer's passengers were snorkelling and a hike to Cook's Look, a lookout on top of a hill named after Cook. Tenders ferried passengers to and from the ship to the island. A previous brochure from the ship about the Cook's Look hike, seen by the ABC, describes it as "a very difficult hike requiring a high level of fitness and good balance". What is known is that Suzanne went on the hike. It was a hot and humid day — about 30 degrees Celsius. Suzanne's family said they were told by police that it was a very hot day, that Suzanne felt ill while on the climb and was asked to head back down, unescorted. When the Coral Adventurer departed Lizard Island that evening, at sunset according to witnesses who have spoken to the ABC, what is now known is that Suzanne was not on board. She had never returned to the boat from the hike that day. Tragically, it appears she died alone, somewhere on the way back down. Her body was not found until the next day, the morning of Sunday, October 26. Witnesses recall seeing vessel depart Witnesses who spoke to the ABC say a helicopter flew over the island about 11:30pm on the Saturday, searching. By this time, the ship had become aware that Suzanne was not onboard and the crew alerted authorities. Traci Ayris, who was sailing in the area, was woken about midnight on Saturday to the sound of a helicopter using a spotlight to scan the trail to Telstra Rock on Cook's Look track. "We knew that someone was missing and then we saw the Coral Adventurer heading back to Lizard [Island] on our AIS tracker," Ms Ayris told the ABC. "They searched until about 3am, then the search was called off until first light when the chopper would return." She said that from their yacht, the SV Vellamo, they saw guests from the Coral Adventurer and another boat, on the beach at Lizard Island, snorkelling and walking the trail. Ms Ayris, from Adelaide, said she and a friend had hiked to Cook's Look the day before. Rob Siganto, who owns the South Pacific II fishing and charter boat, was also moored near Lizard Island that weekend. Mr Siganto said he saw the Coral Adventurer leave the vicinity of Lizard Island at sunset on Saturday. Mr Siganto said a helicopter arrived at the island about 11.30pm or midnight and was searching. "We heard the conversation on the radio," Mr Siganto said. "They were looking for someone and the last known location was halfway up the hill." He said the helicopter crew said on the radio they had not found anything and were out of fuel and needed to return to Cairns that evening. Authorities investigating The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, along with police and the State Coroner, are investigating. Suzanne's family wants a coronial inquiry. In a statement this week, her daughter Katherine Rees said: "We are shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my mum, Suzanne." Ms Rees said her mother was "a healthy, active 80-year-old who enjoyed gardening and was an active member of a bushwalking group". "From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense," Ms Rees said. "Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count … mum died, alone. How the ship set sail that day without Suzanne on board is a mystery. So too is why she was not escorted down the hill by tour staff. According to those who have worked on the Coral Adventurer or been on cruises , the processes for checking on and off the boat during shore trips is stringent. Former passengers recall good procedures Former Coral Expeditions passenger Wendy Baker said she was surprised to hear of the incident, given the vigilance and processes followed by staff on the ships. Ms Baker travelled on the Coral Discoverer in 2022, which included a visit to Lizard Island, and again on the Coral Adventurer this year. "The crew were fabulous … 150 per cent of what you'd expect," she said. Ms Baker said daily briefings outlined activities, activity sign-on sheets were required, and staff closely supervised hikes and beach visits. Passengers were told when hikes were difficult, which she recalled was the case for the Lizard Island hike, which she opted not to join. "Even on the beach, there was two or three or four crew members with the first aid kit, with water." She said she was "very, very surprised" to hear the woman may have hiked back alone or been left behind. They also carried radios, which she thought could have been used to notify other staff that the woman was coming down to the beach. "I believe that their processes are very stringent and just something's gone wrong on this particular occasion," Ms Baker said. "I would definitely go on [a cruise] with them again." Kathy Meehan has travelled on Coral Expeditions cruises more than 10 times since 2010. She said the median age of passengers on the boats she had joined was about 70. Her experience was that the health of passengers was a priority, and they were always given clear information about activities, "overemphasising" difficulty. "Every single trip I've done has been meticulous," Dr Meehan said. "If anybody's having difficulty, they're always helping them." Staff encouraged people to choose activities appropriate to their physical ability, she said, and walks were always supervised by "at least two" staff. She was "stunned" to hear someone may have been unaccounted for. "It just seems unbelievable that it could have happened because there's always someone in front. There's always someone at the back," she said.
