A Brisbane couple seriously injured after a tourist boat capsized in Bali have revealed they were stranded for several hours before they could get hospital treatment.
The Sea Dragon 2 snorkelling boat – carrying 13 tourists of which 11 were Australians – flipped about 8.30am local time on Friday when it was hit by two large waves off Nusa Penida, an island about 15km east of Denpasar in Bali.
Canberra woman Anna Maree died after she was thrown overboard in the accident, which happened just three days after she celebrated her 39th birthday.
Survivors of the crash included Brisbane couple Gabriel Hijniakoff and Cintamani Warrington who said they spent two hours on the upturned hull waiting for rescue than another several hours on a nearby island before they were taken to hospital.
Both tourists suffered serious injuries with Ms Warrington in particular sustaining extensive chemical burns, according to Mr Hijniakoff’s brother Jacob.
They had been in Bali for one week and were due to fly home on Saturday but are now stuck in Indonesia undergoing treatment.
Mr Hijniakoff’s brother said he wanted his family members to get home as soon as possible so that Ms Warrington could receive ‘proper’ burn treatment in Australia.
He said that she is unable to even speak due to the level of pain she is in right now.
Brisbane couple Gabriel Hijniakoff and Cintamani Warrington are undergoing treatment in Bali for extensive injuries they suffered when their snorkeling tour boat capsized on Friday
A large wave hit the boat and threw Canberra woman Anna Maree into the water, killing her, before another wave hit and capsized the tour boat
Mr Hijniakoff’s brother was appalled that it took local authorities so long to get his family to a hospital after the crash.
‘They were out on the boat for an hour or two until they actually got picked up, and then they were stranded on the island for a while – they couldn’t get back to the mainland until later that night,’ he told the Courier Mail.
‘They are just in hospital at the moment, they managed to make their way over there last night.
‘They are undergoing treatment there and then trying to get back to Australia.’
Photos of the shipwreck captured by Indonesian authorities showed the desperate state of the injured as they waited on the overturned vessel while help arrived.
Mr Hijniakoff’s sister-in-law, Olivia, quickly launched a GoFundMe campaign in order to get her family members back home for ‘urgent medical treatment’.
‘They have lost all of their personal travel documents and important belongings,’ she wrote.
‘On March 21, 2025, while on a much-needed holiday in Bali, Gabriel and Tam’s trip turned into a nightmare.’
Mr Hijniakoff’s sister-in-law launched a GoFundMe to get the couple home
Nusa Penida is a picturesque island on the southeastern side of Bali and is separated by the Badung Strait
Ms Warrington remains in critical condition and Ms Hijniakoff said the entire trip has turned into an ’emotional and financial burden’.
‘To make matters worse, they lost crucial personal belongings, including their phones, passports, and wallets, making it even harder to arrange medical transfers and recovery efforts,’ she wrote.
Some of the group were snorkelling underwater when the Sea Dragon 2 was hit by a large wave that threw Ms Maree overboard before a second wave hit and capsized the boat in Kelingking waters, local police spokesman Agus Widiono said.
A nearby boat, owned by the same company, came to save the survivors as rescuers found the body of Ms Maree.
The capsized boat was recovered and towed to Toyapakeh Harbour.
Local police said the two injured Brisbanites suffered burns to their upper thighs, but they attributed their injuries to the heat from the engine.
They were treated at Griya Medical Clinic before being flown to Denpasar.
Tourist boat accidents are common in Indonesia with the vessels often overcrowded and having poor safety regulations.
Nusa Penida is a picturesque island on the southeastern side of Bali and is separated by the Badung Strait.
