Search teams in Indonesia are still looking for Veronica Beatrix Jessica, a 23-year-old divemaster, after the dive boat KM Feronia capsized and sank in Komodo National Park on 13 October 2026. Twenty-nine of the 30 people aboard were rescued. In the latest reports we could verify, dated 15 and 16 October, she had not been found.
What happened
The Feronia is a wooden, pinisi-style boat that Metro TV describes as a 51-gross-tonne open-deck dive vessel. Divernet and DIVE Magazine report that it left the Labuan Bajo marina at about 8am with 25 passengers and five crew, on a day trip that included diving at Manta Point.
At about 2:30pm, near Tatawa Besar island, the boat reached an area of strong, swirling current. Captain Isran told reporters he slowed the boat on approach but it kept losing control. It turned, listed sharply to port, capsized and sank. Surface conditions were described as relatively calm.
Two fast boats nearby, Red Whale and Mac Cruise, gave first help before the joint search-and-rescue team arrived. All five crew and 24 passengers were rescued, and three foreign tourists were treated for injuries (Metro TV reports a head injury, a leg injury and leg abrasions).
The missing woman is Veronica Beatrix Jessica, a 23-year-old divemaster from Jakarta. detikBali reports she had lived in Labuan Bajo for four years and worked for the dive company Dive Tribe. The captain said he was focused on getting guests into a life raft and learned she was missing only during a headcount. Police say witness accounts place her in the portside toilet with the door locked from inside when the boat capsized. They describe that as preliminary.
At a glance
| Item | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Vessel | KM Feronia, wooden pinisi-style dive boat; built in Bira, South Sulawesi; in service about two months |
| When | Tuesday 13 October 2026, about 2:30pm local time (WITA) |
| Where | Near Tatawa Besar, Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia |
| Aboard | 30: 25 passengers and five crew |
| Rescued | 29; three foreign tourists treated for injuries |
| Missing | Veronica Beatrix Jessica, 23, divemaster |
| Search lead | Maumere Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), with navy, marine police and the Labuan Bajo harbour authority |
| Investigation | Opened by Manggarai Barat marine police; cause not determined |
The search so far
The search continued on 16 October. Divers have been working the wreck at 30 to 40 metres in strong currents, and the search area now stretches as far as Padar Island. Rescuers have described the turbulence as an “extreme challenge” (Divernet).
| Date | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Tue 13 Oct | Search began in the afternoon and was halted in the evening because of darkness and poor visibility (Metro TV) |
| Wed 14 Oct | Resumed early with 63 people, including divers from the Komodo Professional Divers Association (P3KOM) and four of her friends (DIVE Magazine). The area was widened to about 14 nautical miles around Batu Bolong, the Tatawa islands, Tanjung Kuning, Pengah and Siaba Besar (Viva) |
| Thu 15 Oct | 6am to 6pm: 82 personnel from Basarnas, the military and police. Two dive teams (five and four divers) worked the wreck at 30 to 40 metres, and a thermal drone flew for 10 minutes. She was not found (Liputan6). DeeperBlue, published 16 October, says 93 personnel were mobilised and an ROV was deployed that Thursday, with currents hampering the work (DeeperBlue) |
| Fri 16 Oct | Search resumed at 6am, split into sectors from the incident site to Padar Island, with an underwater drone rated to 90 metres and Team A and B divers; she had not been found by the end of the day (Viva). |
A floating dive tank possibly from the Feronia has been recovered, but reports differ on who found it and where: Liputan6 credits private search team Somer Dive near Pengah and Siaba Besar islands, while Viva says a fishing boat spotted it south of Padar Island. Maumere SAR chief Fathur Rahman said the dives focus on the wreck because she is suspected to be trapped inside. Her sister and cousin travelled from Jakarta, and her brother has joined the search. He told Viva the family hopes to be reunited with her soon.
Why Tatawa Besar is demanding water
Komodo is known for strong currents, and divers go there for them: the flow feeds the reef and draws big animals such as manta rays. ScubaDiving magazine’s Komodo guide says guides plan dives around the worst conditions, and that May to October is the best season. Tatawa Besar is a popular drift dive, nicknamed Orange Grove for its long stretch of orange coral. Batu Bolong, nearby, is a sloping wall crowded with anthias. For more on the park’s sites, see our guide to the top five dive sites in Komodo.
Police say the water around Tatawa Besar has very strong eddies and whirlpools even on a calm day. Marine police chief Leonardo Marpaung said the Feronia’s hull is short and narrow with a fairly high cabin, which makes it less stable in strong current, and that police are examining whether the design played a part. He said they are not ruling out negligence or human error by the captain (DIVE Magazine). These are preliminary statements, and no cause has been established.
The Labuan Bajo harbour authority says the boat was built in Bira, South Sulawesi, had operated for about two months, and held a valid seaworthiness certificate.
Police have filed what Floresa describes as a “Model A” report, used for a criminal event police have found themselves, and say they will question captain Isran, the chief engineer and three other crew. No suspects have been named. Police also say they will summon the boat’s operator and shipping agent, whom the reports do not name. The harbour authority’s sailing permit for the Feronia was not confirmed to Floresa. The same report notes two earlier Labuan Bajo tourist-boat accidents: the KM Yukai sank on 27 September 2026 with no deaths, and six members of a Spanish family died when the KM Putri Sakinah sank near Padar Island in December 2025, after which a court convicted its captain and a crew member of negligence (Floresa).
What divers can ask before booking a Komodo trip
Nothing here implies the operator did anything wrong. These are general questions worth asking of any boat in strong-current water:
- How does the crew plan around currents and whirlpools at each site, and who decides to change the route?
- What is the surface plan if the boat is in trouble: life rafts, life jackets, and a headcount procedure?
- Does the briefing cover how to leave the boat quickly, including from enclosed spaces such as cabins and toilets?
- Is the passenger and crew list accurate and checked at every stop?
What is still unconfirmed
- Cause. Police and Basarnas cite strong current and whirlpools as suspected factors, and say the exact cause is under investigation. No finding of fault has been announced.
- Where the divemaster is. Police and rescuers say she is believed to be inside the wreck. No outlet we found reports that she has been located.
- Route. The search agency says the boat left for the Rinca island dock, police say it was travelling from Manta Point to Tatawa Besar, and DIVE Magazine calls it the return leg to Labuan Bajo. These accounts have not been reconciled.
- Search size. Liputan6 reports 82 personnel on 15 October, while DeeperBlue reports 93 mobilised and an ROV deployed that same Thursday. Viva reports an underwater drone on 16 October, not a named ROV.
- Headcount. Reports give 24 passengers and five crew rescued from 25 passengers and five crew. DeeperBlue says four passengers were Indonesian and 21 foreign; Floresa says 25 foreign tourists plus the Indonesian divemaster. These counts have not been reconciled.
- Operator. None of the reports we read names the company that ran the Feronia; police say the operator and shipping agent will be summoned.
Sources
Sources as of 16 October 2026. Indonesian-language quotes were translated by us.
- DeeperBlue: Search continues for missing diver in Komodo National Park dive boat sinking (16 Oct)
- Divernet: Komodo dive-boat sinks with divemaster thought trapped inside (15 Oct)
- DIVE Magazine: Divemaster missing after dive boat sinks in Komodo National Park (14 Oct)
- ScubaDiving: Guide to diving in Komodo National Park
- Floresa: Polisi klaim ada kelalaian dalam kecelakaan kapal wisata terbaru di Labuan Bajo (in Indonesian, 16 Oct)
- Viva NTT: Hari ketiga pencarian Veronica, korban KM Feronia, belum ditemukan (in Indonesian, 16 Oct)
- Viva NTT: Tragedi KM Feronia, Jessica masih hilang (in Indonesian, 15 Oct)
- Liputan6: Tim SAR menyelam hingga 40 meter (in Indonesian, 15 Oct)
- detikBali: Tangis keluarga Veronica (in Indonesian, 14 Oct)
- Metro TV: Kronologi KM Feronia tenggelam di Labuan Bajo (in Indonesian)
Photos are illustrative and credited under the Unsplash and Pexels licenses.
