Surfer dies after being impaled by swordfish

A surfer has died after being impaled by a swordfish in a freak accident in Indonesia.

 

Giulia Manfrini, born in Venaria Reale in 1988, was a versatile athlete and passionate about sports since she was a child. She started with skiing and then moved to snowboarding, where she achieved significant successes, such as winning the Italian Youth Cup in 2006/07. After an injury, she dedicated herself to surfing and founded the travel agency Awave Travel. Graduated in Law in 2013, she preferred to follow her passion for surfing, finding her place of peace in Indonesia. It was there that she lost her life in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The incident happened on Masokut Island, a popular surfing spot in the Mentawai archipelago which lies off the west coast of Sumatra.

It was witnessed by two other surfers, named in local reports as Massimo Ferro and Alexandre Ribas, who administered first aid as best they could.

She had a five-centimetre deep stab wound on the upper left-hand side of her chest. She was taken to a local health clinic but could not be saved.

As news of her death reached Italy, her Instagram account was flooded with tributes.

“The sea, that gave you so much, has taken your life. Rest in peace,” one Italian wrote.

Another wrote: “I just heard the dreadful news. RIP.”




Manfrini was from the town of Venaria Reale, where her father was a lawyer and her mother a GP.

Fabio Giulivi, the mayor, said: “The whole community offers its condolences to her family.

“The news of her death has shocked us all, we feel helpless in the face of a tragedy that cut short her life so prematurely.”

Manfrini graduated in law but forged a career initially as a snowboarding coach. She then developed an interest in surfing and moved to Bali, where she worked as a surfing instructor.

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Manfrini, who was from the Piedmont region in Italy, enjoyed surfing and beach life

Manfrini, who was from the Piedmont region in Italy, enjoyed surfing and beach life

Officials planned to transport her body by boat to the port of Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, from where it would be repatriated to Italy.

The Mentawai islands are one of the most renowned surfing destinations in Southeast Asia.

In an interview with a website called The Salt Sirens in 2019, she said: “Surfing wise, I love the wilderness of North Sumatra – the rainforest there is so primordial and gorgeous. I love sitting in the lineup with few friends, listening only to the sounds of the jungle, and waiting for a set which I already know will be perfect and will deliver some barrels.”

Human fatalities from swordfish are highly unusual and extremely rare. Swordfish are found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, and an adult swordfish can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh around 450kg.
In 2015, a fishboat captain in Hawaii died after being impaled by the bill of a swordfish.

Randy Llanes, 47, jumped into the water to spear the fish but it then struck him in the chest.

By the time he was taken to hospital, he was dead. The swordfish was about three feet long with a bill that was about the same length, Hawaiian officials said.

“Swordfish attacks on humans are extremely rare, but they can kill if vital organs are involved,” scientists said in a report published by Science Direct in 2007.

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