‘Will be other victims’: Tourists on alert after shock deaths in paradise

Australia’s favourite holiday hotspot has been rocked by the gruesome recent deaths of several tourists, sparking a grim warning.

Two horrifying recent tourist deaths in Australia’s favourite holiday destination have sparked serious safety questions.

Indonesia’s seas have been in the news recently following two marine incidents involving the deaths of an Italian and an American national surfing and diving around the Mentawai Islands and the Maluku Islands respectively – and leading some to question if it is safe to venture into the water.

Italian woman Giulia Manfrini, 36, was surfing around Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands on October 18 when she was impaled by a swordfish which jumped out of the water and stabbed her in the chest, in what was described by horrified locals as a “freak accident”.

Meanwhile, the remains of American woman Colleen Monfore, 68, were found inside the stomach of a shark while on a diving trip around Reong Island, a small island off the coast of Indonesia’s Southwest Maluku Regency.

She had been enjoying a trip with family and friends in late September when she was swept away by strong currents while diving. It is thought that Monfore suffered a mishap in the water which caused her to drown, before her body was swallowed by the shark.

Monfore’s body was found when a local fisherman operating in the waters around East Timor – a country close to Indonesia – caught the shark and noticed that it appeared unwell, before cutting it open and discovering human remains inside a black wetsuit.

Giulia Manfrini died in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands. Picture: Giulia Manfrini/Facebook

Indonesia recently overtook New Zealand as the top destination for short-term overseas trips taken by Australians in 2023, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with 1.37 million Australians visiting the nation last year.

Indonesia is an archipelago made up of some 17,000 islands, and the recent maritime tragedies highlight the importance of vigilance for Australians enjoying Indonesia’s seas and famous surfing, swimming and diving scenes.

Yudas Sabaggalet, the former regent of the Mentawai Islands Regency, told news.com.au that while it was very rare for someone to be killed by a swordfish in Indonesia, there had been other incidents of locals being stabbed by the animals in the past.

“This type of fish usually jumps at night and, when chasing other fish as prey, swordfish jump up and down in the water. In the daylight, this is rare,” he said.

Views of Kelor Island at Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

Following the death of Manfrini, Sabaggalet said that there now needed to be a ritual cleansing of the water, in line with local traditional beliefs.

“The sea around Mentawai needs to be cleaned according to Mentawai custom so that there are no more victims,” he said.

According to Sabaggalet, this will involve local shamans and elders from the Mentawai Islands gathering at the site of the incident to pray and place offerings in the water, as local tradition stipulates that these kinds of accidents are the result of humans disturbing the natural order of the sea.

“During the ritual no one is allowed to enter the sea, including surfers and swimmers. The shamans and traditional elders will also fast for two days during the ritual process,” he explained.

“It is our belief that, if the water is not cleansed, there will be other victims.”

Colleen Monfore’s remains were found inside the stomach of a shark while on a diving trip around Reong Island. Picture: Kim Sass

Meanwhile, Arifsyah Nasution, a campaigner for Greenpeace Indonesia, said that “unexpected and unwanted interactions with animals in the sea while diving or surfing can occur in Indonesia, because the sea is the natural habitat of fish and other animals”.

“As humans, we need to increase our readiness and caution when there is a fast, unexpected and unwanted interaction,” he continued.

Faizal Ratuela, the executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) for North Maluku, said that Monfore’s death should not be used as an indicator that marine areas in Indonesia are dangerous for divers or swimmers.

“It is very rare in Indonesia for humans to be preyed on by sharks,” Ratuela told news.com.au.

“However, shark poaching is very prevalent in Indonesia and occurs around the Sulawesi archipelago, especially the southeastern part, the East Nusa Tenggara islands, the Maluku Islands and West Papua.

Tuban Island in Manipa, West Ceram Regency, Maluku. Picture: iStock

“This incident also shows the threat of decreasing food sources for tiger sharks which are often found in Indonesian waters. The type of shark that attacked the foreign tourist is the top predator in the marine food chain and its food sources are marine mammals, small sharks, turtles and large pelagic fish such as tuna.”

He added that, while sharks rarely attack humans in Indonesian waters, anyone venturing into the sea needed to be aware of the risks and how to mitigate any potential dangers.

“Naturally sharks will prey on humans more often due to the behaviour of divers who, when faced with sharks, panic and become aggressive in their movements in the water so that they are considered prey by the shark,” he said.

Wengki Purwanto said Giulia Manfrini’s death is no cause for wider alarm. Picture: Giulia Manfrini/Facebook

Her death was tragic, but ‘rare’. Picture: Giulia Manfrini/Facebook

“For this reason, it is very important for every diver to know about the risks, including how to overcome adverse conditions when dealing with predators that live in the sea.”

Wengki Purwanto, the director of WALHI for West Sumatra, the province which includes the Mentawai Islands, said Giulia Manfrini’s death was upsetting but also no cause for wider alarm.

“The sea and all the riches it contains, including marine life, is not a threat to humans. So, there is no reason for tourists to worry,” he said.

“On the other hand, what needs to be paid attention to is the impact of tourism activities on the increasing threat of marine damage and pollution in Indonesia.”

Aisyah Llewellyn is a freelance journalist based in Indonesia

Originally published as ‘Will be other victims’: Tourists on alert after shock deaths in paradise