Barrier Reef tourist left behind by dive boat
A US tourist left behind on a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling trip was forced to swim for his life.
Ian Cole, 28, was left behind by the Passions of Paradise boat on Saturday and had to swim for 15 minutes to another vessel
Cole, from Michigan, told the Cairns Post he panicked when he pulled his head from the water at Michaelmas Cay and found the boat had left.
He was forced to swim to another vessel owned by the same company, whose employees radioed for Passions of Paradise to come back.
“Lucky it (the other vessel) was there because otherwise I may have drowned, I did not handle the situation well and I was tired,” said Cole, whose money was refunded. He was also given a $200 restaurant voucher.
However, Cole received no sympathy from Association of Marine Park Operators spokesman Col McKenzie, who said Cole had tried ‘‘making a mountain out of a molehill’’ to maximise his own exposure.


‘‘The fact that this guy talked about this shows that he’s just seeking self-exposure, and wants to be portrayed as a hero, you know, a survivor,’’ McKenzie told CairnsBlog.net.


The case has brought back memories of the Tom and Eileen Lonergan tragedy, the American couple left behind on a dive off Port Douglas in January 1998.
It took two days for the Lonergans to be reported missing and their bodies were never found.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025