Anna Maree Blight dies in Bali, Gabriel Hijniakoff, Cintamani Warington injured in same boat tragedy
A snorkelling trip to an idyllic island off Bali has ended in tragedy after an Australian woman celebrating her birthday died and two other Aussies were injured when their boat capsized.
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A celebratory birthday trip to Bali has ended in tragedy after a woman working in Melbourne was killed when the snorkelling boat she was travelling in capsized in rough seas.
Anna Maree Blight had celebrated her 39th birthday just two days before she was killed in the tragedy.
Ms Blight, who was working in Melbourne as a director at a finance firm, but was originally from Canberra, was rushed to the Sanglah Hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.
Two other Australians, a Brisbane man identified as Gabriel Hijniakoff and Australian woman Cintamani Warington suffered burn injuries after their tour boat Sea Dragon 2 overturned en route from Sanur to the popular Manta Point snorkel and dive site.
Hijniakoff, 29, and 32-year-old Warington, an Australian national living in Bali, were injured in the tragedy which happened about 8.30am local time on Friday.
Jacob Hijniakoff told this masthead his brother Gabe had managed to contact worried family back home via WhatsApp. The pair had been in Bali for a week.
“They were out on the boat for an hour or two until they actually got picked up, and then they were stranded on the island for a while - they couldn’t get back to the mainland until later that night,” he said.
“They are undergoing treatment there and then trying to get back to Australia.
“He just wants to get back to Australia and be with his friends and family (and) get Tam the help she needs.”
Jacob’s wife Olivia launched a GoFundMe with Gabe and Tam who have suffered bad burns. The money raised will help with a medical transfer back to Brisbane.
“Though what we do know is that Gabriel and Tam were involved in a serious accident, resulting in sustaining serious injuries, a road to recovery and furthermore a difficult situation in getting them home with the loss of their travel documents/electronic devices,” she wrote.
“The gravity of such events and injuries unfortunately do sustain long term effects and further treatment.
“Tam’s injuries are particularly severe, as she has sustained extensive chemical burns?/burns to a large portion of her body.
“She is currently undergoing urgent surgery and is currently receiving medical treatment in Bali after a tireless fight from abroad. Unfortunately, she is unable to speak due to the pain and her condition remains critical.
“Gabriel, too, has sustained significant injuries and they were only able to begin medical treatment nearly 24 hours after the incident.
“Both were left stranded on the boat for an extended period along with other passengers and did not receive timely medical attention or transfers.
“To make matters worse, they lost crucial personal belongings, including their phones, passports, and wallets, making it even harder to arrange medical transfers and recovery efforts. Gabriel and Tam’s situation has become an emotional and financial burden, and the road ahead will be a long and challenging one.”
Indonesian authorities released a photo of the terrifying scene which showed survivors clinging to the upturned hull and others still in snorkelling gear swimming back to the boat in the heavy swell.
Local police said the boat was carrying five crew members and 11 foreign nationals during the trip to the popular snorkelling site near the island of Nusa Penida.
“However when the boat reached Klingking waters, a large wave suddenly hit the boat,” a police statement said.
“The captain attempted to avoid the wave and reduce the engine speed, but something struck the boat’s engine, making it difficult to control.”
The boat capsized after being hit by several waves, reportedly throwing Ms Blight into the ocean.
A sister boat of the tour operator, the Sea Dragon 1, along with fast boat service the Axe Stone helped ferry the passengers back to shore.
A spokesman for the Axe Stone said the vessel rushed to the scene of the incident to help recover passengers from the ocean.
“The report from the captain is the waves were rough and it was rainy,” he said.
“For that area to do activities on the ocean is pretty fine.”
The operators of the Sea Dragon snorkelling trip have refused to comment on how the incident unfolded.
The damaged boat was recovered and towed back to Toya Pakeh Harbor at Nusa Penida.
Sanglah Morgue forensic doctor Nola Margaret Gunawan said authorities were awaiting the arrival of Ms Blight’s family on Saturday.
“At this point I don’t know yet if an autopsy will be performed, I am still waiting for the process from the police and also the family request,” Dr Gunawan said.
“I have to wait for identification from the police and the family.”
She said it was too early to determine a cause of death.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to her family.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” the spokesperson said.
“The department is also providing consular assistance to the two other Australians.
“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
BALI’S BOATING TRAGEDIES
Boating accidents have killed hundreds of people in Indonesia in recent years.
Tour vessels are often overcrowded and safety regulations are poorly enforced.
The vast archipelago country spans more than 17,000 islands with a population of 280 million, and boats are a popular and relatively cheap form of transportation.
Here’s a list of the worst accidents.
March 2025: An Australian woman is killed and two others injured when their snorkelling boat capsizes in rough weather off the east coast of Bali. Investigations are continuing into the circumstances of the incident but the crew reportedly told police the seas became rough and the boat suffered engine troubles.
February 2025: More than 80 passengers escaped unscathed when the boat they had boarded at the Nusa Penida Harbor caught fire, reportedly due to an electrical issue in the engine. Those on board, including tourists from Europe, the UK and Japan, were evacuated and the fire extinguished by crew members.
November 2024: Tourists including two Australians are rescued from the ocean after their boat sinks near Gili Trawangan. No injuries were reported to those on board, which included visitors from the Netherlands and India. The boat took on water in rough weather, incapacitating the engine before it capsized and sank.
September 2023: A German tourist aged in his 50s died after the dive boat he was travelling in struck a snorkelling vessel near Nusa Penida. Other passengers, including tourists, were also injured in the high-speed, head-on crash between the boats.
January 2023: Tourists including a newly-engaged Australian couple were rescued from the sea after their speedboat sank two nautical miles offshore of Sanur. More than 30 tourists were on board the vessel when it began taking on water and sank, reportedly following rough weather a day earlier.
September 2019: Two tourists from South Africa and Brazil died after when the boat they were travelling on was struck by a large wave and capsized off Nusa Lembongan island. The boat captain was able to swim to safety and was rescued clinging to the edge of an ocean cliff.
September 2016: Two tourists were killed and dozens more injured in a horror explosion aboard the Gili Cat 2 boat moments after it left Bali’s Padang Bai Harbour bound for Gili Island. Foreigners from Briton, France, Italy, Portugal and Ireland were injured and an Austrian woman killed. It was believed an issue with the fuel tank caused the explosion.
June 2015: Dozens of tourists including four Australians are injured when the fast ferry crossing between Bali and Lombok explodes. The boat explosion took place about 30 minutes after it departed Lombok Island carrying about 130 people. Tourists from France, the United States, New Zealand and Italy were also injured.
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Originally published as Anna Maree Blight dies in Bali, Gabriel Hijniakoff, Cintamani Warington injured in same boat tragedy
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