Spanish tourist dies from drowning at Great Barrier Reef

A tourist has died at the Great Barrier Reef despite wearing a lifejacket and swimming in front of lifeguards.

An elderly Spanish tourist has died after she was pulled from the water on the Great Barrier Reef.

The 76-year-old woman is understood to have been wearing a life jacket at Michaelmas Cay, a sand bank far 43km north-east of Cairns, when she ran into trouble at around 2pm on Tuesday.

Tour operator Quicksilver Connections said she had also been swimming in front of lifeguards when the drowning occurred.

The lifeguards and an off-duty doctor performed CPR but could not revive her.

Quicksilver's catamaran takes tourists to the sand cay at Michaelmas Reef for snorkelling and swimming.

She and 24 other Spanish tourists had joined the boat tour taking 80 people through the Great Barrier Reef, which has now made its way back to Cairns.

“Our thoughts are with those affected by this incident and their families,” a Quicksilver Connections spokesperson said.

“We are meeting the boat as it docks and will reach out to the tour group leader to offer any assistance they need.”

The company says it takes guests safety “very seriously” and that its staffed are trained to respond to medical incidents.

“We will assist the authorities in any way we can and work with them to ensure the safety of our region so visitors can continue to enjoy snorkelling activities,” the spokesperson said.

“Counselling will be provided to our staff.”

The woman’s death comes just two weeks after a 71-year-old South Australian grandfather also drowned at the world’s biggest coral reef.

Adrian Meyer had taken a tour with operator Reef Experience to Norman Reef, about 80km offshore from Cairns, when he was found unresponsive in the water.