Australian dead, two injured in Bali after snorkelling boat capsizes

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 injured when their boat capsized.

An Australian woman has died and two others were injured when their snorkelling boat capsized off Bali after it was struck by a huge wave.

The Sea Dragon 2 snorkelling boat was reportedly carrying 13 tourists, 11 of which were Australian, when it capsized off the resort island.

A photo released by Indonesian authorities shows survivors clambering on to the hull of the overturned boat with others swimming towards it still wearing snorkelling gear.

The snorkelling tour had departed the port of Sanur on the east coast of south Bali for the tiny island of Nusa Penida when it hit trouble.

Klungkung District Police have released a photo of a boat which capsized in Bali claiming the life of an Australian woman. Picture: AP

The group was reportedly snorkelling when the boat was struck by a large wave which threw those still on-board into the water. A second large wave struck the boat causing it to capsize in Kelingking waters, local police spokesman Agus Widiono said.

Australian tourist Anna Maree was identified as the deceased by Bali police who did not include a surname. The 39-year-old from Canberra celebrated her birthday on Wednesday.

Gabriel Hijniakoff, 29, from Brisbane, and 32-year-old Cintamani Warington, an Australian national living in Bali, were injured in the tragedy which happened about 8.30am local time on Friday.

A second snorkelling boat owned by the same company rushed to the vessel’s aid, rescuing 12 survivors.

Rescuers also found the body of Anna Maree, Widiono said.

The Balinese boat Sea Dragon 2 has capsized, claiming the life of one Australian.

They were being treated at Griya Medical Clinic and will be flown to Denpasar.

The capsized boat has been recovered and towed to Toyapakeh Harbour.

Nusa Penida is a popular, picturesque island among tourists on the southeastern side of Bali and is separated by the Badung Strait.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to the family of the Australian woman.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” the spokesman said.

“The department is also providing consular assistance to the Australians who were injured in the same incident.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

Sanglah Morgue forensic doctor Nola Margaret Gunawan said authorities were awaiting the arrival of the Canberra woman’s family.

“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.

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.

Bali’s islands are beautiful but can be treacherous to get to.

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.

Tourists walk towards passenger ferries to travel from Sanur to Nusa Penida island. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP

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.

Originally published as Australian dead, two injured in Bali after snorkelling boat capsizes