tourist deaths in antarctica 2022

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"Rogue wave" kills American woman, injures four others on Antarctic cruise ship

Updated on: December 2, 2022 / 7:15 PM EST / CBS/AFP

A U.S. woman died and four other passengers were injured when a massive wave smashed into an Antarctic cruise ship during a storm as it sailed off the southernmost tip of South America, officials said Friday. The 62-year-old woman was hit by broken glass when the wave broke cabin windows late Tuesday, Argentine authorities said.

The Viking Polaris cruise ship was sailing toward Ushuaia in Argentina — the main starting point for expeditions to Antarctica — when there was "a rogue wave incident," a representative of the Viking cruise company said in a statement .

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies," the statement said.

Neither the Viking statement nor the Argentine Naval Prefecture identified the woman or her hometown.  

In a statement to CBS News, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the death and offered condolences to the family.

"We are offering all appropriate consular assistance," the spokesperson said. "Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment."

Four other tourists "sustained non-life-threatening injuries" and were treated onboard, the cruise line said.

"We wondered if we hit an iceberg," Suzie Gooding, a passenger from North Carolina,  told WRAL-TV . "And there are no icebergs out here, but that's how it felt."

Gooding told the station that the impact of the wave was "shocking."

"Everything was fine until the rogue wave hit, and it was just sudden. Shocking," Gooding said. "We didn't know if we should get our gear ready for abandoning ship."

Durham couple on board cruise ship struck by enormous wave, killing 1, injuring 4 https://t.co/6FIvbmV0dT — WRAL NEWS in NC (@WRAL) December 2, 2022

The ship suffered minor damage and was anchored off Ushuaia, 3,200 kilometers (nearly 2,000 miles) from the capital Buenos Aires, with several windows smashed on the side, AFP journalists reported.

Viking said it was "investigating the facts surrounding this incident."

Scientists often refer to rogue waves as extreme storm waves that surge out of nowhere, often in an unpredictable direction, and can look like a steep wall of water, up to twice the size of surrounding waves.

These rare killer waves were once seen as a myth reported by mariners or explorers. The polar explorer Ernest Shackleton wrote in his book of a "gigantic" freak wave he encountered in Antarctica in 1916.

However, scientists have learned more about them in recent decades, studying how they emerge and how to predict the wall of water that can surge up even in calm seas.

The Viking Polaris was launched in 2022 and is the newest ship in the company's fleet.

The incident comes two weeks after two tourists died on another Antarctic cruise. The two men, aged 76 and 80, had left the World Explorer ship for an excursion on an inflatable zodiac boat which overturned near the shore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Antarctic cruises are rising in popularity, though 4 Americans recently died on them

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the deaths of four Americans on cruises to Antarctica, highlighting the perils of these increasingly popular cruises.

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Two US cruise passengers drown during a Zodiac excursion in Antarctic waters

Two United States cruise passengers drowned in Antarctica during a tour in a semi-rigid inflatable Zodiac boat, which capsized for reasons still to be determined. Fortunately, other passengers on board were rescued on time from the frigid waters.

The two Americans, 76 and 80 years old, were passengers on board the World Explorer a Portuguese cruise liner which specializes in Antarctica tours and operates from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego.

The incident forced the cruise vessel to immediately return to Ushuaia where it arrived in the early dawn of Sunday. An investigation has started to determine the causes of the accident and the death of the two passengers. The case in led by Federal Magistrate Federico Calvette and prosecutor Juan Soria.

The investigation will be supported by the Argentine Coast Guard, and the court also ordered the autopsy of the two bodies.

The 126 meters long World Explorer has a capacity for 176 passengers and all cabins are looking out to the sea, some of them have individual terraces.

In related news the Chilean Air Force was involved in an Antarctica medical evacuation operation of three people at its landing strip in the President Frei Montalva Base

The operation in a Hercules C 130 took off late Sunday night and arrived in Punta Arenas early dawn with three injured persons, a Chilean, a Uruguayan and a Korean citizen.

The Chilean is a crew member of the ATF Galvarino, a Chilean Navy tug on Antarctic patrol, who suffered acute appendicitis; the second fellow belongs to a Uruguayan Antarctic base and had a broken leg while the Korean had a serious column injury. He is a member of the Korean King Sejong Station.

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'Rogue wave' strikes Antarctic cruise ship, leaves 1 dead and 4 injured

The Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, at the time.

An American passenger on an Antarctic cruise died and four other guests were injured after their Viking ship was struck by a "rogue wave," officials said.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:40 p.m. local time while the Viking Polaris ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, Argentina, Viking said.

MORE: Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving

A guest died following the incident, Viking said, though did not share further details on the cause of death. The victim's family has been notified, the company said.

The passenger killed was a U.S. citizen, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News Friday.

"We are offering all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment," the spokesperson said.

The victim was confirmed as Sheri Zhu, 62, by Secretary of the Ushuaia Federal Court Melina Rodriguez.

Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship's doctor and medical staff, Viking said.

"We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities," Viking said in a statement Thursday. "Our focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, and we are working directly with them to arrange return travel."

The ship sustained "limited damage" from the rogue wave and arrived in Ushuaia on Wednesday "without further incident," Viking said. Images taken of the docked ship showed several damaged windows.

Passengers on board the ship described choppy conditions leading up to the incident.

Californian Beverly Spiker told ABC News that a "huge smash" against the window of her and her husband's cabin caused her window frame to break.

"Clearly something big had happened," she said. "A lot of water came shooting in."

"Luckily, our windows did hold," she added, though said other rooms on their side of the ship were "washed out."

Spiker's cousin, Suzie Gooding, of North Carolina, told ABC News that at the time, the ship was going through the Drake Passage, "which is well-known for having turbulent seas."

Gooding said despite the conditions outside looking "horrible," the inside was "like a normal cruise ship" leading up to the incident. She said she felt a "sudden shudder" that caused cabinets to open.

"It was just unbelievable," she said. "At the time that it happened, we personally wondered if, you know, we knew that we weren't by any icebergs, but it's like, did we hit an iceberg? It just was so sudden."

Spiker said she and other passengers were "shook up" afterward.

"No matter what side of the boat you're on, it was felt throughout the ship that clearly something bad had happened," she said. "So everybody was pretty shook up."

MORE: Passengers hurt aboard Norwegian cruise ship after unexpected wind strikes: I felt 'like we're going to die'

The ship is docked as passengers await further travel plans from Viking, according to Gooding, who said that two other ships in their bay in Ushuaia were also damaged, possibly by rogue waves.

The Viking Polaris ship's next departure for the Antarctic, scheduled for Dec. 5, has been canceled "after careful consideration," the cruise line said.

Rogue, or extreme storm, waves are "greater than twice the size of surrounding waves" and are "very unpredictable," according to the National Ocean Service .

Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of South America, is a common starting point for cruises to Antarctica.

ABC News' Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.

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Spate of passenger deaths aboard Antarctic cruises prompts Coast Guard to investigate as the 'treacherous' destination rises in popularity and access

• The Coast Guard is assisting with inquiries into four deaths on Antarctic cruise ships last year.
• Three US citizens died in wave-related encounters while in Antarctic waters in November.
• "This is a destination where there are increased risks when traveling," a cruise expert said.

The US Coast Guard is investigating a series of deaths and injuries of American citizens on Antarctic cruises over a two-week period last year, the agency announced earlier this month.

Four people died and several more were injured in four separate Antarctic incidents from November 15 to December 1. The remote destination is rising in popularity and access, but recent tragedies highlight the inherent dangers of the glacial wilderness.

"We're dealing with a treacherous part of the world," Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert known as The Cruise Guy , told Insider. "We're not talking about the sunny, calm Caribbean seas with light trade winds."

The season for cruise travel to Antarctica, a relatively recent destination for large passenger ships, typically runs from November through March, according to Chiron.

The US Coast Guard Activities Europe, which is tasked with investigating marine casualties, is working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the countries whose ships were involved, as those nations lead investigations into the deaths and injuries, all of which occurred in Antarctic waters on foreign-flagged vessels, according to a news release .

On November 15, two US citizens died while in an inflatable boat during an excursion off the Portuguese-flagged World Explorer. The small boat capsized with six passengers on board near Elephant Island in Antarctica, the Coast Guard said. The incident appeared to be caused by a breaking wave, according to The Washington Post .

Portugal is leading the investigation while the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate the deaths.

Related stories

Another American was injured in an inflatable boat while traveling with Norway's Viking Polaris near Damoy Point, Antarctica, according to the Coast Guard, which said the boat had suffered a keel-bladder failure.

On November 29, in a freak encounter that made headlines, a US citizen died and four others were injured while aboard the Viking Polaris when a so-called rogue wave hit the ship and shattered several windows . Rogue waves are rare but dangerous, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , which describes the phenomenon as "freak waves" or "killer waves" that can appear as "walls of water" and are highly unpredictable.

"This is a destination where there are increased risks when traveling there," Chiron said of Antarctica. "The seas can be quite rough."

Norway is heading both investigations stemming from the Viking Polaris, the Coast Guard said. 

In a non-wave-related incident, a US citizen aboard the Netherlands-flagged Plancius died from an injury sustained while on board, the Coast Guard said. Dutch officials are leading the investigation.

A representative with Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the Plancius, told the Post that the person died after an "accidental fall" on the ship.

As more cruise ships become equipped to handle the inherent risks of Antarctic travel and more people take Antarctic cruises as a result, there is inevitably a possibility of more danger.

Despite the recent cluster of deaths and injuries, cruise travel remains a relatively safe endeavor, Chiron said, even in the dangerous waters of Antarctica.

"These incidents can happen anywhere at any time," he said. "Even when you take extreme care, these are accidents — they're not on purpose."

Correction: February 10, 2023  — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described reports of an incident involving an inflatable boat near Damoy Point, Antarctica. The US Coast Guard said the boat, not the person who was injured, had suffered a keel-bladder failure.

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Passenger deaths on Antarctic cruises prompt Coast Guard investigation

Four U.S. citizens died and others were injured in the span of a few weeks late last year

Four U.S. citizens died and more were injured during Antarctic cruises late last year, leading the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate four incidents that occurred in a span of less than three weeks.

According to a news release , Netherlands-based U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe, the National Transportation Safety Board and other global investigators sent teams to Ushuaia, Argentina, a common departure point for Antarctica cruises. The U.S. military service said it would “commence thorough safety investigations with the goal of improving marine safety and preventing similar tragic incidents.”

More than 50,000 expedition cruise tourists visited Antarctica in the 2019-2020 season, The Washington Post has reported , while another 18,000 were only able to observe from bigger cruise ships.

The recent incidents took place on foreign-flagged vessels between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1; the travel season for Antarctica generally stretches from November through March.

Two U.S. citizens died Nov. 15 when they were on an inflatable boat that capsized with six passengers on board near Elephant Island in Antarctica. The inflatable came from the World Explorer, a ship chartered by polar adventure company Quark Expeditions.

Quark Expeditions said in a statement that the “tragic accident during a Zodiac excursion” appeared to have been caused by a breaking wave. Passengers on Antarctic cruises are able to get closer to wildlife or natural features on heavy-duty inflatable boats called Zodiacs.

Advancements in polar sailing allow travelers to explore Antarctica’s little-visited areas

The operator said in a statement Wednesday that it was aware of the Coast Guard’s announcement and pledged to “continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.”

Because the World Explorer flies a Portuguese flag, Portugal is the lead investigative state. The Coast Guard is investigating “as a substantially interested state with NTSB support.”

Investigators are also looking into two incidents on Viking Polaris, a Norwegian-flagged vessel. In one, a U.S. citizen was hurt during a mishap on an inflatable boat that the Coast Guard described as a keel-bladder failure near Damoy Point.

The other incident aboard Viking Polaris was highly publicized. Late the night of Nov. 29, as the 378-passenger ship was sailing toward Ushuaia, a rogue wave struck the ship, Viking Cruises said. One U.S. citizen died and four others were hurt.

Antarctica cruises are booming. But can the continent handle it?

The Coast Guard described the wave as a “large wave” and said it hit the ship in the Drake Passage, the notoriously rough body of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.

Norway is the lead investigative state in both incidents; the Coast Guard is investigating as a “substantially interested state” with NTSB support.

In the fourth incident, a U.S. citizen died of an injury that occurred aboard Plancius, a Dutch-flagged vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions . The Coast Guard is investigating with authorities from the Netherlands and the Falkland Islands.

Franklin Braeckman, Antarctic program manager for Oceanwide Expeditions, said in an email that the person died following an “accidental fall” on the vessel that did not take place during any activity or landing.

“Medical support was provided immediately, after which we arranged an evacuation,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, however, these measures were not sufficient to change the tragic outcome of the accident.”

Viking did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those impacted by these tragedies,” Capt. Gretchen Bailey, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Activities Europe, said in a news release.

“The safety of U.S. passengers aboard ships throughout the globe is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements for worldwide passenger vessel operations, especially in unique high-risk environments like the Antarctic.”

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Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

Two people die in Quark Expeditions Zodiac accident in Antarctica

Two cruise passengers onboard a Quark Expeditions voyage in Antarctica have died after their Zodiac overturned in a tragic accident.

The guests onboard the  World Explorer ’s were on a Zodiac which overturned near shore, Quark Expeditions said in a statement to Seatrade Cruise News .

“A Zodiac boat carrying six passengers and two expedition staff overturned near shore, tragically resulting in two fatalities,”Quark said.

“The weather conditions were light winds and smooth sea state, and indications are the accident was caused by a breaking wave. The other four passengers and two staff are recovering under the care and observation of our doctors and medical staff on board,” the statement continued.

The incident happened on November 15 near Elephant Island and the  World Explorer has turned back to Ushuaia on Friday.

“We are in close contact with the next of kin and our priority right now is supporting them, our passengers and crew while we investigate further,” Quark said.

“We will continue to work with, and offer our assistance to, those involved during this difficult time, including full cooperation with the relevant authorities.”

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Quark zodiac boat overturns in Antarctica, killing two

•   11-18-2022  9:45 am
•   Michael Pihach

Michael Pihach

Michael Pihach is an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in digital storytelling. In addition to PAX, Michael has also written for CBC Life, Ryerson University Magazine, IN Magazine, and DailyXtra.ca. Michael joins PAX after years of working at popular Canadian television shows, such as Steven and Chris, The Goods and The Marilyn Denis Show.

Two passengers aboard a ship chartered by Quark Expeditions  have died after a zodiac boat overturned during an excursion near Elephant Island in Antarctica earlier this week, PAX has learned.

Quark Expeditions confirmed the incident with PAX in a statement on Friday morning (Nov. 18).

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that there has been a tragic accident during a zodiac excursion from the ship World Explorer , chartered by Quark Expeditions, near Elephant Island in the Antarctic on November 15,” the polar adventure travel company wrote.

A zodiac boat carrying six passengers and two expedition staff overturned near shore, "tragically resulting in two fatalities," the company confirmed.

The weather conditions consisted of light winds and there was a smooth sea, but “indications are the accident was caused by a breaking wave,” the company said.

“The other four passengers and two staff are recovering under the care and observation of our doctors and medical staff on board,” Quark Expeditions said. “The ship is currently returning back to port.”

The company noted that it is in close contact with the next of kin.

“Our priority right now is supporting them, our passengers and crew while we investigate further,” the company said. “We will continue to work with, and offer our assistance to, those involved during this difficult time, including full cooperation with the relevant authorities.” 

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Satellite data shows entire Conger ice shelf has collapsed in Antarctica

Nasa scientist says complete collapse of ice shelf as big as Rome during unusually high temperatures is ‘sign of what might be coming’

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An ice shelf about the size of Rome has completely collapsed in East Antarctica within days of record high temperatures, according to satellite data.

The Conger ice shelf, which had an approximate surface area of 1,200 sq km, collapsed around 15 March, scientists said on Friday.

East Antarctica saw unusually high temperatures last week, with Concordia station hitting a record temperature of -11.8C on 18 March, more than 40C warmer than seasonal norms. The record temperatures were the result of an atmospheric river that trapped heat over the continent.

Complete collapse of East Antarctica's Conger Ice Shelf (~1200 sq. km) ~March 15, seen in combo of #Landsat and #MODIS imagery. Possible it hit its tipping point following the #Antarctic #AtmosphericRiver and heatwave too? #CongerIceShelf #Antarctica @helenafricker @icy_pete https://t.co/7dP5d6isvd pic.twitter.com/1wzmuOwdQn — Catherine Colello Walker (@CapComCatWalk) March 24, 2022

Ice shelves are extensions of ice sheets that float over the ocean, playing an important role in restraining inland ice. Without them, inland ice flows faster into the ocean, resulting in sea level rise.

Dr Catherine Colello Walker, an earth and planetary scientist at Nasa and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said though the Conger ice shelf was relatively small, “it is one of the most significant collapse events anywhere in Antarctica since the early 2000s when the Larsen B ice shelf disintegrated”.

“It won’t have huge effects, most likely, but it’s a sign of what might be coming,” Walker said.

The Conger ice shelf had been shrinking since the mid-2000s, but only gradually until the beginning of 2020, Walker said. By 4 March this year, the ice shelf appeared to have lost more than half its surface area compared to January measurements of around 1,200 sq km.

Peter Neff, a glaciologist and assistant research professor at the University of Minnesota, said that to see even a small ice shelf collapse in East Antarctica was a surprise.

“We still treat East Antarctica like this massive, high, dry, cold and immovable ice cube,” he said. “Current understanding largely suggests you can’t get the same rapid rates of ice loss [as in West Antarctica] due to the geometry of the ice and bedrock there.”

“This collapse, especially if tied to the extreme heat brought by the mid-March atmospheric river event, will drive additional research into these processes in the region.”

Satellite data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission showed that movement of the ice shelf began between 5 and 7 March, Neff said.

The final ~4.5 years of the now-collapsed Conger Ice Shelf, East Antarctica as seen by #Sentinel1 . 🇦🇶 @sentinel_hub @CopernicusEU @helenafricker @CapComCatWalk pic.twitter.com/q1OUCPgxQl — Peter Neff (@icy_pete) March 25, 2022

Helen Amanda Fricker, a professor of glaciology at the Scripps Polar Center, said that three calving events – when ice chunks break off from the edge of a glacier – had occurred in East Antarctica in March. In addition to the Conger ice shelf collapse, there were smaller calving events of the Totten glacier and Glenzer ice shelf.

“Much of East Antarctica is restrained by buttressing ice shelves, so we need to keep an eye on all the ice shelves there,” Fricker said in a tweet .

Prof Andrew Mackintosh, head of the school of earth, atmosphere and environment at Monash University, said the Conger ice shelf had significant amounts of melting from the ocean beneath, which could have preconditioned it for collapse.

“Ice shelves lose mass as part of their natural behaviour – but the large-scale collapse of an ice shelf is a very unusual event,” Mackintosh said. “This seems to be a collapse rather than normal behaviour.

“The collapse itself, however, may have been driven by surface melting as a result of the extremely warm temperatures recently recorded in this region. More evidence is needed to link this collapse to the recent warming.”

Surface melt was responsible for the Larsen B ice shelf collapse in 2002.

The Antarctic heat event began on 15 March, said Alex Sen Gupta, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales. “It looks like large parts of eastern Antarctica reached over 20C warmer than normal,” he said.

Prof Matt King, who leads the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, said because ice shelves are already floating, the Conger ice shelf’s break-up would not in itself impact sea level much. He said that fortunately the glacier behind the Conger ice shelf was small, so it would have a “tiny impact on sea level in the future”.

“We will see more ice shelves break up in the future with climate warming,” King said. “We will see massive ice shelves – way bigger than this one – break up. And those will hold back a lot of ice – enough to seriously drive up global sea levels.”

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Scientists are particularly concerned about the future of the Florida-sized Thwaites glacier – also nicknamed the “ doomsday glacier ” – which is around 100 times larger than Larsen B and contains enough water to raise sea levels globally by more than half a metre.

“The speed of the breakup of [the Conger] ice shelf reminds us that things can change quickly,” King said. “Our carbon emissions will have an impact in Antarctica, and Antarctica will come back to bite the rest of the world’s coastlines and it may happen faster than we think.”

• Climate crisis

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They said her husband drowned snorkeling, but she saw him walk to shore. What happened?

A Michigan woman and her family are suing a Maui resort , the Hawaiian Tourism Authority, and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau after her husband died while snorkeling . She doesn’t believe it was a drowning. 

Patricia and Ray Johnson, along with four friends, arrived at the Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui on the evening of Feb. 23, 2022, with plans to visit multiple islands over several weeks. This was the couple’s sixth time in Hawaii, and they had snorkeled the Hawaiian waters many times in the past, Patricia told USA TODAY. 

On the morning of Feb. 25, some of the travelers, including Ray, went snorkeling around Wailea Beach, which fronts the resort, while Patricia opted to walk a trail that overlooks the beach. “I looked out, and I saw my husband and my friends or people out there,” she told USA TODAY. “I’m waving at him, and it hits me.” Patricia saw what looked like other snorkelers helping Ray. 

She hurried down to the beach, but “things deteriorated quickly.” At first, Ray had his head above water and was returning to the beach, but then the 64-year-old fell onto his back with his head “snapped back at one point” and had to be pulled in. “I knew he was gone,” she said. 9-1-1 was called, but medical professionals failed to resuscitate Ray. 

The autopsy report called Ray’s death an accidental drowning, which Patricia doesn’t believe. 

“I was watching him come in, how could he be drowning?” According to her friends who were snorkeling with him, Ray was talking and also diving down under the water. At one point, he came up and said, “You gotta help me, I’m having trouble breathing,” and that’s when he decided to head back to shore. “I don’t think when people are drowning in a conditional manner, you’re going to be conversing,” she said.

What to do in Hawaii? Locals weigh in on if these popular spots are worth the hype

By a landslide, the leading cause of death for Hawaii tourists is drowning. And of ocean drownings for residents and visitors, the majority occur when snorkeling. While the ocean is powerful and unpredictable, some advocates, including the Johnsons, are trying to bring attention to a lesser-known medical condition that specifically poses risks to snorkelers and hasn’t gotten much attention over the years: Rapid Onset Pulmonary Edema (ROPE). 

The Johnson family believes ROPE is the real cause of Ray’s death, and the lawsuit alleges that Hawaii travel entities have failed to educate the public on ROPE, resulting in “an important public health concern,” according to the complaint filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit in the State of Hawaii in February 2024. The case should begin the fact-discovery process this week.

The Hawaiian Tourism Authority, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and Fairmont Kea Lani declined to comment on the lawsuit. 

“I would like to see warnings out there,” Patricia told USA TODAY. “I truly believe my husband would still be here if we’d been warned.” 

How is snorkeling dangerous?

Breathing through a snorkel tube is similar to pinching your nose and breathing in through your mouth. The resistance is immediate. ROPE occurs when the negative pressure on the lungs ends up sucking bodily fluids out of the capillaries and into the airways, according to Dr. Raj Dasgupta , a California-based pulmonologist. 

“That snorkel resistance to airflow,” he said. “They want to breathe in but they have to breathe through that straw.”

Once fluid is in the lungs, it becomes difficult to breathe and people can experience hypoxia, or a lack of sufficient oxygen. “You slowly become weak then into a loss of consciousness,” Dasgupta said. Underlying health conditions such as heart and lung disease also increase someone’s predisposed risk for ROPE, he said.

If a person begins to feel shortness of breath, they may panic, causing more exertion, which can be life-threatening if they’re already suffering from a lack of oxygen, Dasgupta said. 

Drowning by ROPE is “fundamentally different” than typical drowning when people are aspirating water or submerged and often showing signs of distress, the complaint said.

A lack of public awareness

In October 2017, after California woman – and avid swimmer and snorkeler – Nancy Peacock died while snorkeling in calm waters off the coast of Hawaii Island in a full-face mask and no signs of struggle, the Hawaii State Department created the Snorkeling Safety Sub-Committee to “address public concern about snorkel-related drownings.”

In a Snorkeling Safety Study led by the sub-committee, 50 different snorkels were tested, and the experts examined nonfatal and fatal drownings. The interim report released in July 2020 concluded that “ROPE-induced hypoxia is a factor in fatal and nonfatal snorkel drownings.” The study also had a survey conducted at Oahu’s most popular snorkeling spot, Hanauma Bay, but only 36 participants – mostly locals – were interviewed due to the islands being closed to travel during the pandemic. 

The high altitude from air travel impacting someone’s lungs may be a contributing factor, but there wasn’t enough evidence in the study to confirm this. Since getting to Hawaii requires at least a five-hour flight, it’s possible that fatigue and stress from flying could play a role in someone’s risk of drowning by ROPE. 

The Hawaiian Tourism Authority funded the study to “develop appropriate safety messages.” However, as of April 2024, there have not been any public-facing messages on any of the official Hawaii tourism websites. Information cards have been passed out to most Kauai and Oahu tour boat operators, the subcommittee said. Although the study is preliminary and not robust in terms of participants and even calls for further investigation, it is the only one to explore ROPE in snorkelers so far.

“Why aren’t we in Hawaii letting people know?” said Jay Stuemke, an Oahu-based attorney who filed the complaint on the Johnsons’ behalf. “Pamphlets in rooms, apps, websites, in-room videos, all types of mechanisms to warn people. It’s an easy enough thing to do. We believe had they done that, Ray would still be alive today as well as many other people.” 

Snorkeling safety tips

◾ Always snorkel with a buddy, and if you can’t swim, don’t snorkel.

◾ Choose a snorkel with a wide opening and no constrictions in the mouthpiece.

◾ Learn to use the snorkel device before venturing out into water that’s too deep to stand in.

◾ If you feel shortness of breath, stay calm, remove the snorkel and get out of the water immediately, Dasgupta said.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

Wife blames state of Hawaii for her husband’s snorkelling death after autopsy ‘didn’t make sense’

A woman is suing Hawaii ’s tourism authority following the allegedly “preventable” snorkelling death of her husband.

Ray Johnson, 64, developed trouble breathing while snorkelling off a beach in Maui, Hawaii .

The Michigan father-of-four was helped ashore by a friend, as he remained responsive and even talked, wife Patti said. Just moments later, Mr Johnson passed away right in front of her.

A coroner officially ruled that he died by drowning , according to Mrs Johnson’s lawsuit. But the widow was left with a sinking feeling when she received the results of the post-mortem.

“It didn’t make sense when I received the autopsy report that just said… drowning,” she recently told ABC 7.

“I was watching him come in. When you’re drowning, I don’t think you’re making your way in. I don’t think you’re talking to the people you’re with.”

Mr and Mrs Johnson had been married for 38 years. Since his death on 25 February, 2022, “there’s barely a minute in my life that goes by that I don’t think about him,” the devastated widow said.

Now, Mrs Johnson is suing Fairmont Kea Lani resort, the Hawaiian Tourism Authority and Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Rather than drowning, she suspected her husband’s death could be due to a condition called rapid onset pulmonary edema (ROPE).

Mrs Johnson’s attorney, Jay Stuemke, claims that it’s impossible for an autopsy to determine if someone died by drowning or ROPE, despite the coroner’s ruling.

“Resistance to inhalation sets off this negative pressure in your lungs, and then your bodily fluids start to intrude into this really delicate mechanism,” Dr Philip Foti, an Oahu pulmonologist, told the Associated Press.

Between 2009 and 2018, ROPE – a form of hypoxia, or asphyxiation, a person’s lungs fill with bodily fluid, resulting in a difficulty in breathing – was linked with 206 Hawaii drownings, according to a study conducted by the state Department of Health’s Snorkel Safety Sub-Committee.

Mrs Johnson’s lawsuit cited the study’s author, who wrote that “probably most” snorkel-related fatal drownings were attributable to ROPE.

It also stated a number of risk factors can contribute to ROPE deaths, including the physiological effects of recent air travel.

Waiting just three days before snorkelling in the ocean can dramatically reduce the risk of developing the condition, according to Dr Meilan Han, a respiratory health specialist at the University of Michigan.

The pressurised environment of an aircraft cabin may affect the permeability of the lung’s membranes, thus, increasing the chances of an individual developing ROPE, Mrs Johnson’s attorney told Fox News.

“Ray should’ve been told that he was at particular risk of this for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he’d just flown in,” he added.

Mrs Johnson believes that had Hawaii’s tourism authority notified the couple about the complications of the condition, they would have drunk “Mai Tais for a couple days” around the pool.

She has begun printing small cards with details about ROPE in order to “try to educate” tourists about the conditions, where the state of Hawaii and the tourism industry have purportedly failed.

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Antarctic inquiry calls for Australia to buy second vessel, blasts 'bewildering' budget overspend

The federal government should consider acquiring a second Antarctic resupply vessel to ensure the significant scientific capabilities of the nation's trouble-plagued icebreaker are not wasted, a Senate inquiry has recommended.

The inquiry was launched in August last year after leaked internal correspondence revealed the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) needed to find $25 million in savings .

The budget shortfall raised concerns within the scientific community that research projects and science jobs would be adversely impacted at a time of unprecedented change in the polar region.

The inquiry's report, released yesterday, has made 16 recommendations designed to ensure science remains the AAD's top priority.

"Australia has a 42 per cent claim to Antarctic territory — we're meant to be leaders in Antarctic science," the inquiry's chair, Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, said in a statement.

"Yet this Senate inquiry shone a light on how our government agency that's designed to facilitate critical science on the icy continent lost its way."

Two of the recommendations relate specifically to the $528 million RSV Nuyina, which the report described as a "microcosm of [the] issues" affecting the AAD.

The state-of-the-art vessel has the dual role of resupplying Australia's Antarctic stations as well as providing a platform for sophisticated scientific research at sea.

But since coming into service in 2021, the Nuyina's eight completed voyages have not included a dedicated marine science mission, despite a promise of up to 60 research days per year.

The lack of a science-focused voyage was the result of mechanical problems that kept the ship out of action for almost a year.

But the Nuyina has also faced several other significant challenges, including:

• Stability control issues that prohibit the ship from travelling under Hobart's Tasman Bridge, forcing it to refuel 660 kilometres away at an additional cost of $875,000 per year
• Malfunctioning cranes that meant only half the ship's cargo could be offloaded during a recent voyage to Mawson station, triggering plans for an airdrop by Defence
• Industrial action against the ship's private operator Serco, which prompted the AAD to consider hiring a second vessel to retrieve expeditioners from Macquarie Island

The inquiry found that although the Nuyina has allowed for significant scientific work to be completed during resupply voyages, the "one-ship model" is not in Australia's best interest.

"It was made clear to the committee that relying on the Nuyina for the majority of Australia's Antarctic engagement is not a sustainable model and it is to the detriment of both science and logistics that both must depend on the one ship," the report stated.

The committee recommended "as a matter of priority" the federal environment department develop a business case for the acquisition of a second vessel to support Australia's presence in Antarctica.

"Such a vessel should be deployed primarily for logistics, to allow the RSV Nuyina to be deployed with a greater focus and frequency on science projects."

Additionally, it recommended the government boost funding to enable the Nuyina to spend between 250 and 300 days per year at sea, rather than the current 200 days.

The report stated the extra days would provide "more flexibility and certainty for dedicated science voyages", and "would be a ready solution — rather than relying on a second ship which may or may not eventuate in the future."

Inquiry criticises 'bewildering' budget overspend

The inquiry's final report also made a scathing assessment of the handling of two key budget issues affecting the AAD and the federal environment department.

One of the budget issues related to a $41.4 million overspend caused by extra shipping costs while the Nuyina was out of action.

"This was initially forecast in the region of $20 million, and it was not until July 2023 that the extent of the overspend was identified and flagged with the minister's office," the report stated. 

"It's bewildering to imagine how an overspend of over $40 million could not be identified and addressed by relevant officials until after the fact, nor raised with the relevant minister's office."

The other issue involved a reduction in funding of almost $30 million between 2022-23 and 2023-24, largely due to the expiration of a temporary increase in funds for additional shipping costs.

"Poor communication [about the reduction] led to confusion and discontent amongst AAD staff, and created funding uncertainty for many scientists who were well progressed with established research projects, or were in the draft stages of new projects."

The report said budgets within the AAD's branches were "poorly managed … resulting in some science projects in draft stage not getting approval".

"These issues suggest significant governance and reputational risks for the division, and by extension, the standing of Australia in its Antarctic Territory," it said.

"The impacts of funding changes on science in particular cannot be understated, given the need for long-term funding certainty to ensure research projects can be completed."

Despite the criticisms, the report noted improvements in governance since the inquiry commenced, including "a significant change for the better in the leadership at the AAD".

However, it still recommended a range of other initiatives, including:

• Publishing annual accountability metrics, such as the proportion of science funding within the AAD's operational budget
• Immediately readvertising 20 AAD jobs that were originally announced in 2022-23 but not filled
• Launching an independent review of the the AAD's operations and logistics branch
• Finalising a 10-year strategic plan for Antarctic science goals by the end of the year, and fully funding it by next year's budget
• Providing ongoing funding for university-led Antarctic science programs

Researchers await response to recommendations

Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam, who helped initiate the inquiry, said it had identified "multiple failings" that needed to be addressed by the Labor government.

"They simply cannot let these problems fester any further, or allow Australia's international reputation on Antarctic matters to continue to dwindle," Senator Duniam said.

While he agreed with most of the report's recommendations, he said he did not support "open-ended new funding" or further formal reviews.

The ABC has sought comment from Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who has previously accused the former Liberal government of "irresponsibly managing" Australia's Antarctic program.

In a statement, the AAD said it welcomed the release of the committee's report.

"The report highlights some of the excellent progress the division has made in the 2023-24 Antarctic season, along with positive steps forward in leadership and governance.

"The government will consider the committee's recommendations and respond in due course."

Professor Nathan Bindoff, the program leader at the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, said the importance of ongoing research in the region could not be underestimated.

"The Antarctic ice sheet and the interaction of the ocean is a key part of the future projections of climate change," he said.

The veteran oceanographer said the research community would welcome an additional ship, if it gets approved.

"That would actually free up the Nuyina and allow us to access to tremendous new capabilities that we never had before," he said.

In the meantime, he said he was "crossing his fingers" that the Nuyina's first-ever dedicated marine science voyage to the Denman Glacier would proceed as planned early next year.

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Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow, no damage or injuries, mayor says

Friday, 10 May 2024

(Reuters) -Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone, headed for Moscow, was downed in the Podolsk district just south of the capital. Emergency crews and specialists were on the scene.

Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that a total of five Ukraine-launched drones had also been destroyed overnight over the Moscow and the Bryansk and Belgorod regions bordering Ukraine.

The governor of Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said there was no damage or injuries as a result of the attack.

Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil processing facilities in different regions of Russia this year, disrupting 15% of Russia's oil refining capacity, according to an estimate by a NATO official at the beginning of April.

One such strike on Thursday hit a major oil processing plant in Bashkortostan region some 1,500 km (930 miles) away, a Kyiv intelligence source said, the longest-range such attack since the start of the war in February 2022.

Drone attacks targeting Moscow are rarer occurrences.

Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but each says the other's military, transport and energy infrastructure are legitimate targets to weaken the opponent in their war efforts.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Chris Reese and William Mallard)

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Russia says it has captured 5 villages in northeast Ukraine as more than 1,700 civilians flee

The russian defense ministry says moscow’s forces have captured five villages in a renewed ground assault in northeastern ukraine.

VOVCHANSK, Ukraine — Moscow’s forces captured five villages in a renewed ground assault in northeastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday, and Associated Press journalists in the city of Vovchansk described multiple buildings destroyed after Russian airstrikes and barrages of Grad rockets.

Ukrainian officials didn't confirm whether Russian had taken the villages, which lie in a contested “gray zone” on the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv region and Russia.

Ukrainian journalists reported that the villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha were taken by Russian troops on Friday. Russia said the village of Pletenivka was also taken.

In an evening statement Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said fighting was still ongoing in the settlements of Strilecha and Pletenivka, as well as Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove, Lukyantsi and Hatyshche.

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“Our troops are carrying out counterattacks there for a second day, protecting Ukrainian territory,” he said.

The Institute for the Study of War said Friday that geolocated footage confirms at least one of the villages was seized. The Washington-based think tank described recent Russian gains as “tactically significant.”

The renewed assault on the region has forced more than 1,700 civilians residing in settlements near the fighting to flee, according to Ukrainian authorities. It comes after Russia stepped up attacks in March targeting energy infrastructure and settlements, which analysts predicted were a concerted effort by Moscow to shape conditions for an offensive.

On Saturday, Russia continued to pummel Vovchansk with airstrikes and Grad rockets as police and volunteers raced to evacuate residents. At least 20 people were evacuated to safety in a nearby village. Police said that 900 people had been evacuated the previous day.

AP journalists who accompanied an evacuation team described empty streets with multiple buildings destroyed and others on fire. The road was littered with newly made craters and the city was covered in dust and shrapnel with the smell of gunpowder heavy in the air. Mushroom clouds of smoke rose across the skyline as Russian jets conducted multiple airstrikes.

The AP journalists witnessed nine air attacks during the three hours they were there.

“The situation in Vovchansk and the settlements along the border (with Russia) is incredibly difficult. Constant aviation strikes are carried out, multiple rocket missile systems strikes, artillery strikes,” said Tamaz Hambarashvili, the head of the Vovchansk military administration.

“For the second day in a row, we evacuated all the inhabitants of our community who are willing to evacuate,” he said. “I think that they are destroying the city to make (local) people leave, to make sure there are no militaries, nobody. To create a ‘gray zone.'"

Evacuees bade tearful goodbyes to their neighbors as they were taken away from their homes.

“You lie down and think — whether they will kill you now, or in an hour, or in three,” said resident Valentyna Hrevnova, 75. “I hope that they (Russians) will not come, but ours (Ukrainians) will be here.”

Vera Rudko, 72, was among those who left.

“We drove through Vovchansk in the city center,” Rudko said. “I can’t look at this without tears. Everything is trembling. We didn’t sleep these two nights at all.”

Russia’s recent push in Kharkiv seeks to exploit ammunition shortages before promised Western supplies can reach the front line, and pin down Ukrainian forces in the northeast and keep them away from heavy battles underway in the Donetsk region where Moscow’s troops are gaining ground, analysts said.

Russian military bloggers said the assault could mark the start of a Russian attempt to carve out a “buffer zone” that President Vladimir Putin vowed to create earlier this year to halt frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions. Fears also mount that without adequate supplies, Russia might even be able to cut supply routes and besiege the city of Kharkiv, where 1.1 million people reside.

Ukrainian officials have downplayed Russian statements about captured territory, with reinforcements being rushed to the Kharkiv region to hold off Russian forces.

On Telegram, Kharkiv region Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that heavy fighting continued in the areas around Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Oliinykove, but that the situation was under control and there was no threat of a ground assault on the city of Kharkiv.

In the meantime, artillery, mortar and aerial bombardments hit more than 30 different towns and villages in the region on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring five others, Syniehubov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Friday evening that Russian forces were expanding their operations. He also called on the country’s Western allies to ensure that promised deliveries of military aid would swiftly reach the front lines.

“It is critical that partners support our warriors and Ukrainian resilience with timely deliveries. Truly timely ones,” he said in a video statement on X. “A package that truly helps is the actual delivery of weapons to Ukraine, rather than just the announcement of a package.”

The attack was launched from two areas in the Kharkiv region early Friday, Ukrainian officials and analysts said. Russian assault groups attempted to break through Ukrainian defensive lines in the city of Vovchansk and in the region north of the village of Lyptsi.

Separately, Ukrainian forces also launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Friday night, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said, with air defense systems downing 21 rockets and 16 drones over Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk and Volgograd regions. One person died in a drone strike in the Belgorod region, and another in the Kursk region, local officials said.

Another strike set ablaze an oil depot in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Luhansk region, killing four people and wounding eight more, Leonid Pasechnik, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, said on the messaging app Telegram on Saturday.

There was also shelling in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region Saturday, where three people died when an explosion hit a local restaurant, said Denis Pushilin, the area's Kremlin-appointed leader. Eight more people were wounded, including a child.

In the war’s early days, Russia made a botched attempt to quickly storm Kharkiv but retreated from its outskirts after about a month. In the fall of 2022, seven months later, Ukraine’s army pushed them out of Kharkiv. The bold counterattack helped persuade Western countries that Ukraine could defeat Russia on the battlefield and merited military support.