Key Aspects:
- A guest was found deceased on Lizard Island after being accidentally left behind by a Coral Expeditions ship.
- The female guest had been hiking but separated from her group to rest and failed to return to the ship.
- The cause of death has not been confirmed, but her body was located more than 150 feet from the trail.
It’s been a sad week for cruise guests with yet another death now reported, this time from a Coral Expeditions ship sailing near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia.
According to 7 News, the 81-year-old female guest was hiking with other passengers on Lizard Island on Saturday, October 25.
The group was climbing Cook’s Look. The popular hike follows the famed path of Captain James Cook and offers stunning panoramic views from the peak. The elderly woman, whose name has not been released, stopped hiking only partway up the peak, however, and needed to rest.
The hike is a challenging one, and it isn’t unusual for hikers to overestimate their abilities and not be able to complete the entire route. The rest of the group reportedly continued the climb and eventually returned to their cruise ship.
What no one realized, however, was that the woman had not returned to the vessel. She was a solo traveler, and her absence was not noticed for several hours. She was officially reported missing on Saturday, October 25.
Search operations were initiated as soon as the woman could not be located. Both land and sea assets were used to try and find her, as well as air support. The search continued for several hours.
The woman’s body was located approximately 165 feet off the trail where she had been hiking.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island,” confirmed Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions.
“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.”
The exact ship the woman was sailing aboard has not been disclosed. Coral Expeditions has just three ships: Coral Adventurer, Coral Discoverer, and Coral Geographer.
While Coral Geographer is currently sailing near Japan, both Coral Adventurer and Coral Discoverer are in the region near Lizard Island. As part of the Great Barrier Reef, the area is renowned for spectacular snorkeling and scuba diving.
The intimate ships of the Coral Expeditions fleet can welcome just 70-120 guests and offer immersive itineraries to out-of-the-way destinations that larger vessels are often unable to visit.
No further details about the woman, including her identity or her condition when she was located, have been released. This will help safeguard the privacy of her family members and friends at this very troubling time.
Coral Expeditions remains in contact with the family as the investigation is ongoing.
“The Coral team have been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process,” said Fifield.
Other Recent Hiking Mishaps
This is not the first time this year that a cruise guest has gotten into fatal difficulty on a hike while visiting a port of call.
In two separate incidents, two cruise guests died in Juneau, Alaska, while hiking on popular trails known for challenging conditions.
The first guest was hiking by themselves on July 1, 2025. A multi-day search operation was launched when the 62-year-old woman did not return to Norwegian Bliss and her body was located 1,700 feet below Gold Ridge Trail, where she had planned to hike.
The second incident occurred on September 16, 2025 when two male hikers fell from the Mount Roberts Trail in the same region. One hiker only sustained minor injuries, but the other slid further down the mountainside and died from his injuries.
More From Cruise Hive
The ship the two men were guests aboard was not disclosed, but could have been one of four vessels docked in Juneau that day.
Such incidents are always tragic, and Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with all guests, family members, and crew impacted by these terrible circumstances.
