Tourist dies on Great Barrier Reef

ANOTHER tourist has died on a diving trip about 40km off the Cairns coastline despite desperate efforts to revive him.

Police and the coroner attend The Marlin Marina after a tourist from Reef Magic died while snorkelling at Moore Reef. Picture: Anna Rogers

A TOURIST has died on a diving trip about 40km off the Cairns coastline, the fifth fatality at the Great Barrier Reef in three months.

The man, in his 60s, was pulled from the waters of Moore Reef around 12.15pm (AEST) on Wednesday.

According to the Cairns Post, it’s believed he suffered a heart attack while hanging on to a life ring five metres from the vessel.

A rescue helicopter was on its way to get the man but then was diverted to Green Island to help a 43-year-old woman who almost drowned while snorkelling and is now fighting for her life.

CPR was performed on the man but he couldn’t be revived and police will now prepare a report for the coroner.

According to the ABC, 10 people died on the reef last year and the majority of the victims were elderly and had pre-existing medical conditions.

Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators spokesman Col McKenzie told the ABC that 10 fatalities in one year was double the industry average and conceded that regulations may need to be tweaked.

His comments followed the death of a 75-year-old Japanese tourist died while she was snorkelling at Moore Reef in December.

Police and the coroner attend The Marlin Marina yesterday after a tourist from Reef Magic died while snorkelling at Moore Reef. Picture: Anna Rogers

The month before, a 60-year-old English tourist died while diving on Agincourt Reef off the popular resort of Port Douglas.

His death came just days after two French travellers in their 70s with pre-existing medical conditions perished snorkelling in the same area.

A coronial inquest this week in Cairns is also hearing evidence surrounding the events of an experienced swimmer’s death in April.

Leila Trott disappeared in choppy waves on the Great Barrier Reef but it took 40 minutes for her colleague to officially raise the alarm, the Cairns Coroner’s Court has heard.

Her parents Janet and Robert Trott fear the true cause of their daughter’s death may have been covered up to protect tourism on the reef.

The 38-year-old skipper went missing while trying to retrieve a rogue dinghy off Green Island on April 6 last year.

A coronial inquest into her death heard on Wednesday that her colleague Filippo Matucci lost sight of Ms Trott after taking a “two-minute toilet break”.

Mr Matucci, who will testify on Thursday, initially called his manager and took part in a search with about five nearby vessels.

But the official “pan-pan” call that would have alerted Water Police and the retrieval helicopter in Cairns was not made until 2.06pm, about 40 minutes after Ms Trott was first noticed missing.

Her lifeless body was found floating face down in the water at 2.18pm.

Leila Trott who died on a heart attack while dive instructing off Green Island near Cairns. Picture: Mark Brake

Senior Constable Darlene Webb said there was no evidence Ms Trott could have been saved if Mr Matucci had called the pan-pan earlier because the helicopter was down for service on the day and police would take an hour to reach the search zone.

“As tragic as it was, I couldn’t find any criminality,” Sen Const Webb told the Cairns Coroner’s Court.

Forensic pathologist Paul Botterill said Ms Trott most likely died from a cardiac episode suddenly brought on by a significantly narrowed artery.

Dr Botterill said it was not unheard of for the underlying heart condition to cause people to die without showing symptoms.

“Certainly some people die in their sleep with this condition, some people drop suddenly with no expression of pain,” he said.

The court had previously heard Ms Trott was a fit and healthy woman and an experienced swimmer who was capable to making the up to 450 metre swim to the dinghy.

Dr Botterill said he could not exclude that Ms Trott had been stung by an Irukandji jellyfish, although no marks were found on her body.

The court heard an Irukandji sting could be hidden on the scalp or by grazing from CPR but that the symptoms usually took 30 minutes to manifest.

Mr Matucci was also not required by law to look out for Ms Trott, who was wearing a bikini and diving fins, because she was swimming, not snorkelling.

“We didn’t see him being liable,” Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigating inspector Angelo Capaldi said.

The dive instructor had initially volunteered to swim the distance but Ms Trott decided to go instead because of her seniority.

French tourist Josette Grasset described Mr Matucci as looking “worried” and “very stressed” as he watched Ms Trott swim to the dinghy, which had come loose from the main boat.

More than two million people visit the reef every year, generating more than $2 billion in tourism revenues, according to the government.

The inquest continues.