An Italian surfer died last week after being impaled by a swordfish while surfing in Indonesia, local media reported.
Giulia Manfrini, a 36-year-old from northern Italy, was in the water in Mentawai Islands Regency, an area that draws surfers from around the world, according to Indonesian news agency Antara.
“Unexpectedly, a swordfish jumped towards Manfrini and struck her squarely in the chest,” Lahmudin Siregar, acting head of the Mentawai Islands’ Disaster Management Agency, told Antara on Friday.
After seeing Manfrini’s signal for help, two witnesses provided first aid and took her to a local medical center, the agency reported, citing police.
Manfrini is a prominent surfer with more 27,000 followers on social media and the co-founder of AWAVE, a London-based travel company that specializes in surfing.
She was the victim of a “freak accident,” said James Colston, the company’s co-founder.
“Unfortunately, even with the brave efforts of her partner, local resort staff and doctors, Giulia couldn’t be saved,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “We believe she died doing what she loved, in a place that she loved.”
“Giulia was the lifeblood of this company and her infectious enthusiasm for surf, snow and life will be remembered by all that came in contact with her,” he continued.
Fabio Giulivi, the mayor of Manfrini’s hometown, Venaria, said the surfer was “tragically” taken from her loved ones in the prime of her life.
“The news of her death has left us shocked and makes us feel powerless in the face of the tragedy that took her life so prematurely,” Giulivi wrote in an Instagram post.
“To all those who loved her, I offer my heartfelt condolences, both from myself and from the entire city,” Giulivi said.
Su Nan-Jay, an associate professor at National Taiwan Ocean University who specializes in fishery studies, said the likelihood of swordfish attacking humans during the day was “relatively small” because they mostly come up to the surface from the ocean depths only at night.
“But you can’t say it’s impossible — it could still happen,” he said.
Swordfish can pose a “quite serious” threat that is “usually very likely to be fatal,” Su said.
“Their snout is like a real sword,” he said. “If it stabs, it goes very deep, and it could even slice through, leaving a large wound.”
It also has many barbs that carry marine vibrio, or bacteria.
“So even if the wound itself isn’t immediately fatal, it can still lead to an infection,” Su said. “It’s really, really dangerous.”
Although attacks by swordfish are rare, surfing-related deaths are not uncommon in Indonesia.
In August, an Australian man died after he hit his head on a reef while surfing in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Last year, American professional surfer Mikala Jones died after the fin of his surfboard severed an artery in his leg while surfing in Indonesia.
Matteo Moschella contributed.
