An American tourist is feared to have been eaten by a shark after she disappeared while diving off the coast of Indonesia.
Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, went missing in the ocean near the Pulau Reong island, off the coast of the country’s Southwest Maluku Regency, on September 26.
She was diving with six friends and a tour guide when a strong current dragged her away around 9am local time. The guide was unable to pull Monfore back to the boat.
Rescue teams searched for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to the dangerous conditions at sea and the low chance of finding her.
A fisherman on Sunday in the neighboring country of East Timor found human remains in the belly of a shark.
Although the remains have yet to be identified, officials in the Liquisa District said the female corpse was still wearing a black wet suit and appeared to be that of a Western woman matching the profile of Monfore.
Colleen Monfore, 68, (pictured) from South Dakota, was with six friends exploring the stunning tropical ocean around the Pulau Reong island off the coast of the country’s Southwest Maluku Regency on September 26. But she was dragged away by the strong currents with her desperate group, and the guide was unable to pull her back to the boat
A fisherman on Sunday in the neighboring country of East Timor found human remains in the belly of a shark
Monfore was diving with six friends and a tour guide around Pulau Reong when a strong current dragged her away around 9am local time on September 26. Her suspected remains were found in the neighboring country of East Timor on October 6
The fisherman who made the discovery has described the disturbing moment he found the body.
‘The shark was caught but it was not in normal health,’ he recalled. ‘I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net. It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman.’
Officials in East Timor have contacted the coast guard in Indonesia. They have also appealed for details of anyone with missing friends or relatives due to the popularity of diving in the nearby islands, that are Indonesian territory.
Muhammad Saleh Goro, Head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) for the Management of the Alor Islands Marine Park and surrounding ocean, said: ‘We have coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Dili, and the KBRI has confirmed the truth of this information.
‘The body of the woman was found in a shark in Timor Leste. It was not in Indonesian territory. We are now investigating the case further to confirm if they are the remains of anyone reported missing in Indonesia.
‘From the diving suit worn by the victim, it is suspected that they were a diver. The results of the investigation will be published soon after more complete information is available. The anecdotal reports from Timor Leste are that the victim in the shark was foreign female.’
The shark’s belly was cut open after the fisherman made the disturbing discovery. Pictured is the inside of the fish that is suspected to have eaten Monfore
A portion of a woman’s body, suspected to be a diver, is pictured after being recovered from the shark’s belly. Officials say the female corpse was still wearing a black wet suit and appeared to be that of a Western woman matching the profile of Monfore
Ipda Giovani BM Toffy, the chief of police in Southwest Maluku where Monfore had first gone missing, said the tour guide with the diving group had initially reported her missing.
He said: ‘The initial search effort was carried out by the victim’s friends because they were on the same trip to the Banda Islands.
Monfore, pictured in her passport photo, was reported missing by the tour guide with the diving group
‘We coordinated with the Nabar Village Government to mobilize residents to help search the coast facing Reong Island and conduct searches around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speed boats, but the victim has not been found.’
Pulau Reong is a small island located in the Alor Archipelago of Indonesia, a region renowned for its exceptional scuba diving.
Diving around Pulau Reong itself is becoming more popular due to the biodiversity, unique dive sites, pristine corals and quieter environment compared with neighboring Thailand and the Philippines.
Shark attacks are extremely rare in Indonesia, with only 11 unprovoked attacks reported since 1749, according to the latest International Shark Attack File data, which was published earlier this year.
Before the case involving Monroe, the last reported shark attack in Indonesia occurred near Bali in July 2022 when Russian surfer Sasha Utkina was bitten by a small shark. She suffered lacerations to her foot and was treated at a local hospital.
The regions in Indonesia with the most reports of shark attacks are the Riau Islands and East Nusa Tenggara, records reveal.
Rescue teams searched for Monfore for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to the dangerous conditions at sea and the low chance of finding her
Rescuers are pictured during the multi-day search for Monfore, which was carried out around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speed boats
Pulau Reong is a small island located in the Alor Archipelago of Indonesia, a region renowned for its exceptional scuba diving. Rescuers are pictured during the search for Monfore
Despite Australia’s reputation for being a hotspot, the shark attack capital of the world is actually the US where more than half of the 69 worldwide confirmed shark bites occurred last year.
Florida and California see the most attacks in the US each year, and this is likely caused by more people swimming in the water in those regions and the length of time people swim in the ocean during the year.
The International Shark Attack File revealed that great whites, tiger and bull sharks killed the majority of people in 2023, but the increased deaths are due to more people being in the ocean each year and a stronger emphasis placed on reporting bites and fatalities.