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Following a deadly encounter with a swordfish, Italian surfer Giulia Manfrini passed away. According to Lahmudin Siregar, the acting head of the Mentawai Islands' Disaster Management Agency, the 36-year-old was surfing close to the Mentawai Islands Regency in Indonesia on October 18 when a swordfish "unexpectedly jumped towards Manfrini and pierced her chest," as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
According to the outlet, she passed away from her wounds after being taken to the Pei Pei Pasakiat Taileleu Health Center.
According to medical reports obtained by the news corporation, Manfrini had a nearly two-inch deep wound and appeared to be drowning.
Manfrini's coworker James Colston, with whom she co-founded the surfing and snowboarding excursion company AWAVE Travel, wrote in a statement that the incident was a "freak accident."
In an Instagram post on October 18, Colston stated, "Unfortunately, even with the brave efforts of her partner, local resort staff, and doctors, Giulia couldn't be saved." "We believe she died doing what she loved, in a place that she loved."
"Giulia couldn't go anywhere without people falling in love with her laugh, smile, and boundless Stoke," Colston continued, referring to Manfrini as the "lifeblood" of the company. She was a fortunate addition to any surf or charter.
"We love you, Giulia," he continued. I hate having to say goodbye.
Before receiving her teaching certification from the International Surfing Association, Manfrini taught snowboarding for the Associazione Maestri Sci Italiani, also called the Association of Italian Ski Instructors, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Manfrini was once a professional snowboarder whose passion for surfing "led her all over the world to chase waves," according to her biography on the AWAVE Travel website.
"When not organizing trips," according to her website, "you’ll find her waves and powder hunting, songwriting, dancing, and playing beach volleyball!"
Years before she died, Manfrini had visited the Mentawai Islands. "Observing one of the most amazing and extremely uncommon occurrences on Earth: the so-called 'GLORY,' a full circle rainbow in the sky," she wrote in a 2022 Instagram post that was geotagged from the surfing location.
"Grateful for this life and nature!" she added at the time.
