Final words of woman who died after cruise ship left her behind on island

The daughter of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees has shared the final message her mother sent just hours before she died — words that now feel especially heartbreaking in hindsight.

The Coral Adventurer, operated by Coral Expeditions, departed Cairns in Far North Queensland on October 24, 2025, for a planned 60-day journey around Australia.

Among those on board was 80-year-old Suzanne Rees, whose dream trip would soon end in tragedy.

Early in the journey, passengers stopped at Lizard Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, for an organized hike. That morning, everything seemed perfectly normal.

“She sent me a text that morning with a photo of the deck, saying: ‘Arrived at Lizard Island, going for a hike, and then afternoon swim,’” her daughter Katherine recalled in a new interview with 60 Minutes.

“We had no reason to think that this wouldn’t be the most amazing experience. We had no reason to think anything bad would happen.”