‘Shouldn’t happen again’: Family of 71yo who died while snorkelling Great Barrier Reef call for inquest

The family of a 71-year-old man who died while snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef in November 2023 have called for an inquest into the tragedy as investigations continue.

Adrian Meyer died on a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef with his son Nicholas Meyer and daughter Angela Henson.

The family of a 71-year-old man who died while snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef in November 2023 have called for an inquest into the tragedy as investigations continue.

The trip was a belated 70th birthday present for Adrian Meyer, an experienced snorkeller whose “mecca” was the Great Barrier Reef.

The retiree excitedly boarded the Reef Experience tour boat with his son Nick Meyer and daughter Angela Henson on November 20, 2023, with the siblings just hours later forced to nurse their father’s lifeless body as the packed vessel made the harrowing journey back to shore.

Adrian died after being swept away, along with dozens of other tourists, in a “treacherous” current near Norman Island, about 60 kilometres northeast of Cairns.

The South Australian tourist was found face down in the water and boarded into a rescue vessel which capsized and sank a short time later.

Multiple witnesses said his body was then recovered from the water by a nearby boat before CPR was performed on Reef Experience’s main vessel.

Adrian Meyer died on a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef with his son Nick Meyer and daughter Angela Henson

“I believe the industry can learn from what happened to my father and ensure that everyone entering the water is properly protected,” Ms Henson said.

“We all struggled in the dangerous conditions, including the crew, and were physically exhausted from fighting the strong current. This shouldn’t happen again.”

Ms Henson’s half-brother Nick Meyer said his father’s death was a horrific tragedy.

“We understand that there’s only one (Northern) Coroner, but this should be moved to a proper inquest.”

A Coroners Court of Queensland spokesman said the investigation was “open and ongoing”.

“We still don’t know what safety measures, if any, were taken to test the water for undercurrents that day,” Ms Henson said.

“We still don’t know the timeline of when my father was found in the water or why there was only one tiny lifeboat available for the over 100 people on the trip, which ultimately sank. We still don’t know how many people were in the water that day – something that really haunts me, especially because I thought I was going to drown myself.”

Nicholas Meyer with his father, Adrian Meyer aboard the Reef Experience tour boat near Cairns on Monday, November 20, 2023.

At the time of the tragedy, Association of Marine Park Tour Operators CEO Gareth Phillips said the industry would listen to any findings or recommendations, if any were handed down.

“We are a proven and safe industry but we want to learn from the outcomes of this investigation,” he said.

Just three weeks later, a 76-year-old international tourist also died on a snorkelling trip with a different operator near Michaelmas Cay, off the coast of Cairns.

Mr Meyer previously said a lawyer representing Reef Experience came to the captain’s cabin, where he was nursing his dead father’s body, almost immediately after the tour boat docked.

Shattered travellers Amber and Luke Hooper previously said they felt the “nightmare” five-hour ordeal may have ended differently if the tour operator had opted to keep paddlers out of the water.

The decision set in motion a “horrific” sequence of events that included Adrian Meyer’s death.

Originally published as ‘Shouldn’t happen again’: Family of 71yo who died while snorkelling Great Barrier Reef call for inquest