Australia, 80 Year Old Woman Dies After Being Left Behind By Cruise Ship. 25th October 2025

[Herat]

Sometimes it's hard for older people to admit they can't do what they used to.

True. That doesn't mean she should have been alone and told to return by herself, without someone accounting for her while they were on the island.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Sometimes it's hard for older people to admit they can't do what they used to.

Yes, indeed. Persuading older people, especially old men, to stop driving can be very difficult.

 

[sunspun]

So she had no family or friends who were on the same cruise? She went by herself?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

The conditions do sound harsh, for anyone, especially the heat, humidity and steepness. I would venture that there would have been younger people in not such great shape on that hike, too. It sounds as if there was someone from the crew who was a group leader on the hike, and I would have thought they should have asked someone to stay with her.

Maybe, but those other hypothetical hikers would by definition have youth on their side. When things like this end in catastrophe, it's almost always because a number of factors occur together and one of them becomes the proverbial final straw.

Advanced age + high temperatures + a steep and difficult hike.

This passenger might well have survived if any two of those applied but the third was maybe just too much.

It's also possible that at her age her cognitive function might also have been compromised just enough to mean that she could not make the right decision.

I'm left wondering whether the guide or anyone else could have refused to take her on the hike if they had significant doubts about her capability. Not only was this only a day or so after the start of the cruise, when crew would not be as familiar with individual passengers as they would be later in the voyage, but could the cruise company have been open to legal action for discrimination on grounds of age if they refused to allow her on the hike?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

True. That doesn't mean she should have been alone and told to return by herself, without someone accounting for her while they were on the island.

I agree, though I don't believe it should have been expected that a passenger should stay with her or return to the ship with her. Do we know how many crew members were escorting the party, considering that a significant proportion of the passengers probably went on the hike? There should have been one or two additional crew members there to assist passengers who got into difficulty, eg twisted an ankle.

 

[333_OnlyHalfEvil]

Anyone know what the procedure to report her missing would have been, had the ship employees have decided to do their jobs. I understand thinking maybe she had returned to the ship on her own, but what should have happened when they realized she was missing?

 

[Little Jack]

They were not properly equipped to run this cruise. How did they not have medical assistance available for hikers. What if someone twisted their ankle or had heat stroke. Their solution is just to tell the person to head off alone and wait?

Ridiculous.

Also I'm reminded of the cruise where the husband and wife were left in the ocean snorkeling because there was no head count and they drowned. Chilling.

How can these operations not have head counts, and frankly they should have redundancies to make sure if one headcount fails they have a backup. This isnt like they were letting people disembark in a populated town and wander on their own. It sounds like a strenuous hike in a deserted location.

 

[Herat]

I agree, though I don't believe it should have been expected that a passenger should stay with her or return to the ship with her. Do we know how many crew members were escorting the party, considering that a significant proportion of the passengers probably went on the hike? There should have been one or two additional crew members there to assist passengers who got into difficulty, eg twisted an ankle.

MelmothTheLost - I was actually thinking the hiking party was rather small.

This cruise had room for 112 guests but we don't know how many guests there were on this voyage that was to circumnavigate Australia in 7 weeks.

Lizard Island was the first stop of the 60-day cruise. There was the choice of snorkeling or hiking for those that went ashore. There is a bay on the western side of the island with a wide, long sandy beach called Watson's Bay. Guests would have been transported from the ship to the beach by tender. I do not see any piers or docks on any part of the island. The south end of the island near this bay has a large hotel and multiple villa and bungalow-type accommodations. There is a bar at the south end of the beach. There is also a paved landing strip. The trail to Cooks Look appears to start at the north end of the beach, away from the hotels, bars, and restaurant.

I was thinking that it was described as a very hot day, the majority of those who went ashore would have chosen snorkeling or beaching rather than a hard 4 hour hike in heat and humidity to a viewpoint at 1,178 ft elevation. Even walking the beach from north to south would have been hot.

I haven't yet read how many crew people were on the hike, nor do we know if they had any emergency preparations, or had brought extra water and salty snacks. As it is described as hot, rugged, and with an 1100ft elevation gain with some difficulty, I think a significant number of passengers would not have chosen this. The brochure photos indicate a substantial number of passengers on cruises like this are older than 75 and the deceased was likely not the oldest person on the trip.

 

[Herat]

Anyone know what the procedure to report her missing would have been, had the ship employees have decided to do their jobs. I understand thinking maybe she had returned to the ship on her own, but what should have happened when they realized she was missing?

I would assume there would be a roll call of passengers the tenders were transporting to and from the beaches. I would also assume there would have been a roll call of the passengers on the hike. I was on a cruise with daily tender landings on remote islands and every trip had a checklist for passengers getting on the tenders and returning to the ship.

The ship would have to have a tender boat on the sand at the beach on Watson's Bay for her to return to the cruise ship. There is no pier or dock on Lizard Island and the bay is too deep for the cruise ship to dock. The tender could have been a Zodiac-type boat, which better for a shallow bay and sandy beach than a small ferry type boat.

I would also assume the cruise would have set up umbrellas, towels, some chairs or loungers, and had a cooler of water and snack at beachside for the passengers on that hot day.

 

[Herat]

All Trails description of the Lizard Island Captain Cook's Look Trail

Difficulty: Hard Distance: 26 miles. Elevation gain: 1144 ft elevation. Out and back trail

"This challenging and scenic lookout track is a great place to take in the geography of Lizard Island that is wrapped by coral reefs, mangroves and sandy beaches. You'll meander through grasslands, woodlands and wind-sheared heaths up to the lookout across mixed terrain of boardwalk sections, unformed dirt track, decomposed granite and sloping granite slabs, with rough hewn steps in some places. The track officially starts at the northern end of Watson’s Bay. Take care along the trail as it can be quite steep in places and can get tricky when wet. Take plenty of water as the trail is exposed for much of the way."

The trail profile shows it rapidly gets steep and has the bulk of the elevation gain in the first 3/4 of a mile, then it follows the ridgeback to the highest point. What isn't noted is that there is essentially no shade for that first segment of the hike, just rock and dry scrub and the footing is uneven and irregular. I would assume she would have felt unwell in that initial section. It also appears that she could easily have fallen in that area and not been visible as the remaining group descended if she tumbled down the rocks.

If I was thinking of making that hike in heat, reviewing the trail profile would have made me think twice and choose to go snorkeling, instead. I don't deal with the heat well, and that profile spells trouble for me.

Cooks Look Track

This challenging and scenic lookout track is a great place to take in the geography of Lizard Island that is wrapped by coral reefs, mangroves and sandy beaches. You'll meander through grasslands, woodlands and wind-sheared heaths up to the lookout across mixed terrain of boardwalk sections...

www.alltrails.com

 

[Herat]

So she had no family or friends who were on the same cruise? She went by herself?

It sounds like it. Would not be unusual. The oldest person I have encountered by herself on a cruise was 90 years old and she basically lived on cruise ships, taking one trip after another.

The expense for a solo traveler on a 60-day small ship cruise would be high. Most ships do not offer single cabins, so she could have ended up being charged double fare for a cabin by herself. I would think she likely was paired with a cabin mate to keep the expenses down and perhaps that person first noticed her missing.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Re choosing to snorkel instead of walk, I would imagine there are many more people who have never snorkeled and would not want to do it. I think most people would choose the walk.

Unless the snorkel part is a reason some joined this cruise.

Many people don't know how to dive or snorkel and other reasons might be not liking their face under the water and also some ladies may have had their hair done for the cruise and don't want their hairstyle messed up.

 

[Herat]

The cost of the 60 day Coral Adventure cruise around Australia in 2025 is approximately $86,400 AUD ( or $56,300 USD)

It is a long cruise with numerous stops. Her cruise was completely sold out.

Coral Adventurer 60 nt cruise dep Cairns 17 Oct 2025 from $86,400pp

Coral Adventurer 60 night cruise departing Cairns 17 Oct 2025 from $86,400 per person. Get great advice and book with Australia's leading team of cruise specialists.

www.cleancruising.com.au

 

[Herat]

Re choosing to snorkel instead of walk, I would imagine there are many more people who have never snorkeled and would not want to do it. I think most people would choose the walk.

Unless the snorkel part is a reason some joined this cruise.

Many people don't know how to dive or snorkel and other reasons might be not liking their face under the water and also some ladies may have had their hair done for the cruise and don't want their hairstyle messed up.

True, but being on the sandy beach is easier than facing that hike. My parents would love to get off their cruises and just sit on the beach and enjoy a beverage or two in the shade and were never going to do any hikes.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Oh that's right.

I imagine you could just be on the beach under a shady umbrella, or just paddle or swim.
The snorkeling part most likely wasn't compulsory.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I know it's easy to say because I wasn't there but if I had been in that group I would have missed the rest of the climb to stay with her and make sure she was ok.

I know there have to be many other people who would do the same.

I would do the same.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

That hike up the mountain, from the description is one I would never have attempted at any age.

 

[Stunned]

True, but being on the sandy beach is easier than facing that hike. My parents would love to get off their cruises and just sit on the beach and enjoy a beverage or two in the shade and were never going to do any hikes.

I'm with your parents!

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Inside the tropical island cruise that ended in tragedy

Suzanne Rees joined a hike on Queensland's Lizard Island as part of a cruise stopover. She would never make it back to the boat.

www.abc.net.au

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.

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.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Inside the tropical island cruise that ended in tragedy

Suzanne Rees joined a hike on Queensland's Lizard Island as part of a cruise stopover. She would never make it back to the boat.

www.abc.net.au

Cathy 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.