An Italian surfer has died in a freak accident in Indonesia in which a needlefish leapt out of the sea and impaled her in the chest.
The incident occurred on the morning of 18 October off Masokut in the Mentawai Islands. Lying off the coast of Sumatra in the eastern Indian Ocean, the islands are said to be highly rated among surfers.
Giulia Manfrini, 36, from Turin, was a surfing and snowboarding instructor and ran a specialist tour agency called AWAVE Travel. She had been staying at the Hidden Bay Resort with her partner Max Ferro, who was at the scene when the incident occurred.
Manfrini was brought ashore and first aid administered as she was taken to a medical centre, but it was too late. The needlefish had left a 5cm-deep puncture wound on the left side of her chest and there was reportedly seawater in her lungs.
“Unfortunately, even with the brave efforts of her partner, local resort staff and doctors, Giulia couldn’t be saved,” stated AWAVE Travel’s co-founder James Colston. “We believe she died doing what she loved, in a place that she loved.”
Needlefish belong to the Belonidae family and have a long, narrow beak filled with sharp teeth. The fish can grow up to 1m long and are commonly found in subtropical regions, where they feed mainly on smaller fish, crustaceans and cephalopods.
Able to make short jumps out of the water at speeds of up to 40mph – the speed of a dart thrown at a board – needlefish have often been known to leap over the decks of shallow vessels.
In parts of the Indo-Pacific, flying needlefish are regarded by traditional fishers as posing a greater danger to them than other forms of marine life.
When the beak strikes flesh it can inflict deep puncture wounds and has been known to break off inside the victim. Though there is no suggestion that the fish are intentionally aggressive towards humans, a number of deaths and serious injuries have been recorded.
Earlier in 2024, a 59-year-old Filipino fisherman was pierced in the stomach by a leaping needlefish or balo off Panay Island and died from loss of blood before reaching hospital.
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