Woman airlifted to Cairns Hospital following incident on the Great Barrier Reef

An elderly woman has been rushed to Cairns Hospital following a medical incident on the Great Barrier Reef.

FILE PHOTO: The QG Air 510 Rescue emergency services helicopter lands outside Cairns Hospital. Picture: Brendan Radke

An elderly woman has been rushed to Cairns Hospital following a medical incident on the Great Barrier Reef on Wednesday afternoon.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said the woman was snorkelling near a pontoon on Agincourt Reef and had been transported following a “post-immersion incident”.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service confirmed a 78-year-old woman was being assessed in Cairns Hospital’s emergency department this afternoon.

The Rescue 510 helicopter left Cairns Airport bound for the reef just after 12pm on Wednesday, before flying directly to Cairns Hospital, landing around 1.45pm.

Tour operator Quicksilver confirmed the woman had been travelling as a customer aboard one of its vessels.

“The woman was observed to be in difficulty while snorkelling from the back of the Silversonic vessel at Agincourt Reef today,” a company spokeswoman said.

“Staff acted promptly and upon getting her back onto the vessel they performed CPR, following which she was responsive and communicating.

“The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was contacted and a rescue helicopter transferred her to the Cairns Hospital.

“Our staff are trained to respond to medical incidents and we take the safety of our guests very seriously.”

A CHHHS spokesman said the woman is in a stable condition.

Last November, South Australian man Adrian Meyer, 71, died after being swept away, along with dozens of other tourists, in a strong current near Norman Reef while swimming around 60 kilometres northeast of Cairns.

A rescue vessel attempted to retrieve the retiree before capsizing.

Originally published as Woman airlifted to Cairns Hospital following incident on the Great Barrier Reef