On a sun-drenched Saturday in late October, the tranquil beauty of Lizard Island—nestled on the Great Barrier Reef, some 250 kilometers north of Cairns—was shattered by a tragedy that has sent shockwaves through Australia’s tourism industry. Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old Sydney resident, was found dead after being left behind by her cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer, following a hiking excursion. The incident has set off a major investigation and reignited debate about safety standards on Australian cruises.
Rees was a passenger on the Coral Adventurer, a luxury vessel undertaking a 60-day circumnavigation of Australia—a trip costing around $52,000. According to The Australian, Rees was described by her family as healthy, active, and a keen bushwalker. Her daughter, Katherine Rees, told the newspaper, “From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense.”
The events of October 25, 2025, began innocuously enough. Rees joined a group of fellow passengers for a hike up to Cook’s Look, Lizard Island’s highest summit. But as the day wore on, the heat intensified. Police later confirmed it was a very hot day, and Rees began to feel ill during the climb. She was advised by cruise staff to head back down the mountain—alone and unescorted.
What happened next has become the focus of intense scrutiny. Multiple sources, including ABC News Australia and LADbible, report that the Coral Adventurer left the island around sunset, between 6 and 7 p.m., apparently without conducting a full passenger count. Some tourists on the island told the Cairns Post they overheard headcounts for snorkelers but not for other guests. "The last people came down from the track and got into tender, then the (ship) left very soon after that. There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored," one tourist, Traci Ayris, recounted.
It wasn’t until hours later—when Rees failed to appear in the ship’s dining room for dinner—that her absence was noticed. By 10 p.m. AEST, Queensland Police were alerted to a missing passenger. Shortly after, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was notified, and a search and rescue operation was launched, involving both land and sea teams. A rescue helicopter took off at 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, scouring the rugged terrain of the island through the night.
The search ended in heartbreak. At first light on Sunday, October 26, a helicopter crew spotted Rees’ body about 50 meters off the hiking trail to Cook’s Look. According to The Australian, she appeared to have fallen from a cliff or slope. Her remains were airlifted from the site just before 4 p.m. that day. Police have stated that her death is being treated as "sudden and non-suspicious." The Coroner’s Court, AMSA, and a workplace safety watchdog have all launched investigations to determine what went wrong and whether any safety protocols were breached.
For Rees’ family, the tragedy is compounded by unanswered questions. “We are shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my Mum,” Katherine Rees said in a statement published by ADN. “We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum felt ill on the hill 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.”
Her daughter also expressed hope that a coroner’s inquiry would "find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life." The family has described Suzanne Rees as a woman who loved the outdoors and was physically active, making the circumstances of her death all the more difficult to understand.
Coral Expeditions, the company operating the cruise, has expressed deep regret and pledged full cooperation with authorities. In a statement provided to multiple outlets, CEO Mark Fifield said, “We are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family. The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process. We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.”
The incident has drawn comparisons to a notorious case from 1998, when American couple Tom and Eileen Lonergan were inadvertently left behind during a scuba diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef. Their bodies were never found, and the tragedy led to a tightening of safety regulations for tour operators. Now, with the death of Suzanne Rees, those regulations are again under the microscope.
AMSA is specifically investigating why Rees may not have been accounted for during the boarding process at Lizard Island. Queensland Police have confirmed their own investigation and stated, “We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding.” The involvement of a workplace safety watchdog further suggests that authorities are examining whether Coral Expeditions fulfilled its duty of care toward its passengers.
Meanwhile, the cruise industry and the broader tourism sector are facing renewed calls to review and strengthen their safety protocols. “I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life,” Katherine Rees told The Australian. Tourists who witnessed the aftermath of the incident remarked on how quickly the ship departed the island and questioned whether proper procedures were followed. “They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island, it would seem,” Traci Ayris told the Cairns Post. “We even commented, ‘Wow they left fast.’”
As the investigations continue, the family of Suzanne Rees—and the public at large—await answers. The tragedy has highlighted the importance of vigilance and accountability in the tourism industry, especially in remote and potentially hazardous environments. For now, Suzanne Rees is remembered as an adventurous spirit whose life ended far from home, alone on a beautiful but unforgiving island, her absence noticed only after it was too late.
