Coral Expeditions blots it's copybook

[tgh]

Not a good look at all; crew seem to have failed return to ship head count and shore leader appears not to have noticed a challenged passenger missing.
Sounds like a very strong please explain will be in the maIL

Woman who failed to return to cruise ship found dead on Qld island

Emergency services find an 80-year-old woman dead on a remote island in the Great Barrier Reef after she "failed to board" a cruise ship.

www.abc.net.au

 

[tgh]

more…
Sources have told The Australian that the woman was hiking the steep Cook’s Look walk with a group on Saturday when she needed to stop.

“The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realising she was not there,” a source said.

Another source said the woman fell down a cliff, and the search was delayed until Sunday, when her body was retrieved.

 

[blackcat20]

Why didnt the group report to crew that they had left behind someone who was struggling?

 

[RB]

I have a mate who is on this cruise. As well as the sad event posted up thread, the departure was delayed by a week as parts were required before departure- not sure the extra days in Cairns were appreciated & I haven't seen any discussion of a new itinerary/compensation yet

 

[RooFlyer]

Still unclear to me when the boat realised when she was missing.

On 'failure to board' - each pax should be scanned off and scanned on again, and if one is unaccounted for after the last zodiac returns, the boat shouldn't go anywhere.

Or, the scanning in process was faulted and they thought they had everyone on board and only realised later.

But I have yet to be on an expedition cruise, with shore landings and excursions where one of the exped crew isn't 'tail end Charlie' and brings up the rear with whoever is slowest.

 

[Aeryn]

Very sad, and negligent of the cruise company not properly count passengers on and off at an excursion.

As someone who travels a lot solo, I admit with no travelling companion to miss you back on board the ship/bus, its always a worry you migth be left behind somewhere on a day tour/excursion. Always motivation to be back at departure point a little early.

 

[drron]

But as a former expedition cruiser I would and did on one occasion stay back and watch the person who needed to rest.
And on my next to last expedition cruise I was the straggler and a crew member came back and made sure I made it back.

So. not just the crew but the other ones on the hike failed. In an elderly woman especially a heart attack may present as a sudden loss of energy. Maybe that was the problem.

 

[VPS]

Still unclear to me when the boat realised when she was missing.

On 'failure to board' - each pax should be scanned off and scanned on again, and if one is unaccounted for after the last zodiac returns, the boat shouldn't go anywhere.

Or, the scanning in process was faulted and they thought they had everyone on board and only realised later.

But I have yet to be on an expedition cruise, with shore landings and excursions where one of the exped crew isn't 'tail end Charlie' and brings up the rear with whoever is slowest.

It is an issue with stragglers but totally unacceptable

 

[Pushka]

Or, the scanning in process was faulted and they thought they had everyone on board and only realised later.

I'm my experiences. When that may have happened then a senior crew member asks if passenger ABC could contact a crew member immediately.

It is an issue with stragglers but totally unacceptable

But every cruise we've been on there are always stragglers. Or even just people becoming unwell. There must be a plan.

 

[RooFlyer]

I wonder if this will result in a tighter boarding and dis-boarding (unboarding?)process for at least some cruises?

On my recent two Ponant cruises I know when I was being scanned back in with others off zodiacs, there were at least a couple of occasions when the system said the pax was already on board ( ie hadn’t been scanned off the boat properly) or I saw the pax walk past and the screener didn’t get them. In the latter cases those around called the passenger back.

A two point scanning process would probably be more assured and not too difficult to set up.

 

[RB]

Still unclear to me when the boat realised when she was missing.

On 'failure to board' - each pax should be scanned off and scanned on again, and if one is unaccounted for after the last zodiac returns, the boat shouldn't go anywhere.

Or, the scanning in process was faulted and they thought they had everyone on board and only realised later.

But I have yet to be on an expedition cruise, with shore landings and excursions where one of the exped crew isn't 'tail end Charlie' and brings up the rear with whoever is slowest.

This is what my mate onboard posted
We left Lizard Island 4pm on Saturday & by 10pm after crew knocking on everyone’s door to look for a missing passenger we were motoring back to Lizard Island with search lights franticly scanning the waters.

 

[QF WP]

The crew responsible for that excursion should be brought to question. They are the ones with overall responsibility for ensuring that all the passengers that were off-boarded (@RooFlyer) to the island, were back on board the tender BEFORE if left the island.

Once they realised she hadn't returned, then question the other passenger (some of whom should have advised the crew where they last saw her) and the tender crew should send out an initial search party (or call for more boat crew to form a search party).

It's not rocket science? How can everyone get it so wrong?

 

[Pushka]

The crew responsible for that excursion should be brought to question. They are the ones with overall responsibility for ensuring that all the passengers that were off-boarded (@RooFlyer) to the island, were back on board the tender BEFORE if left the island.

Once they realised she hadn't returned, then question the other passenger (who may have seen her - and did in this case)

I just don't know why other passengers didn't say anything. Not because they were responsible but basic humanity. By then people tend to know each other. And I don't care if she was in her eighties.

We walked back with an elderly woman on a 32 person boat in Croatia when she couldn't keep up.

 

[tgh]

I have only one expedition with Coral Adventures some time ago.
My recollection was a competent but fairly casual shore excursion managment process and I simply don't
remember how they tallied the numbers before and after… calling @JohnM….
I have extensive Silversea expeditions experience and there is usually at least one tail ender and often a spare to manage strugglers
Sometimes , even on expeditions, passengers scatter to the four winds and the only way to know everyone is back is the boarding scan.

 

[jastel]

Local CNS gossip says most of tour group was on a snorkelling trip, some people didnt do that and went for the walk....not clear if it was escorted/guided.
The 80+ year old lady said it was too hard for her and turned back, saying she would see them back on the boat. Seems she then got lost had the accident.

Snorkel group numbers checked, walking group were back, old lady was supposed to be on boat.

Boat left around dusk...nobody counted the walkers, it seems.

Boat headed back around 9pm, arriving at 2am when crew went searching for lady.
Helicopters were already searching from about midnight to 3am.

Search resumed at first light when her body was quickly found at Telstra Rock.
Body was recovered much later.

Counting the passengers probably wouldnt have helped in this case anyway...but it was still a mistake by the company.

 

[Pushka]

Local CNS gossip says most of tour group was on a snorkelling trip, some people didnt do that and went for the walk....not clear if it was escorted/guided.
The 80+ year old lady said it was too hard for her and turned back, saying she would see them back on the boat. Seems she then got lost had the accident.

Snorkel group numbers checked, walking group were back, old lady was supposed to be on boat.

Boat left around dusk...nobody counted the walkers, it seems.

Boat headed back around 9pm, arriving at 2am when crew went searching for lady.
Helicopters were already searching from about midnight to 3am.

Search resumed at first light when her body was quickly found at Telstra Rock.
Body was recovered much later.

Counting the passengers probably wouldnt have helped in this case anyway...but it was still a mistake by the company.

I'd have expected them to do a head count before weighing anchor. Our recent cruise used eye scans to check everyone in. As soon as passengers started to board the boat, whether on their own or in a group then on entrance their presence should have been noted. By even just ticking names off a list each time if the technology isn't there.

 

[RB]

Latest development

Well our circumnavigation of Australia has come to an end.
After getting back on board from having drinks & sunset at the tip of Cape York the Captain announced that the cruise is being terminated & they are going to organise Charter Flights out of Thursday Island back to Cairns.

 

[Pushka]

Latest development

Well our circumnavigation of Australia has come to an end.
After getting back on board from having drinks & sunset at the tip of Cape York the Captain announced that the cruise is being terminated & they are going to organise Charter Flights out of Thursday Island back to Cairns.

I expect the police investigation will be taking place immediately. It's made headlines throughout Australia so sadly it's high profile news now. An awful experience for everyone and I'm not sure I'd want to continue anyway as it isn't like one of the 'usual deaths onboard' situation.