The woman told people she was going for a swim about 5am, Algie said.

“She was a young woman enjoying a beautiful part of the world, and that’s what makes this such a tragedy,” he said.

The Maheno shipwreck is one of the island’s most famous landmarks and is located on 75 Mile Beach.

The young woman’s body was found north of the wreck.

The Maheno rests on the eastern, ocean side of the island, away from the main tourist resort at Kingfisher Bay on the western side.

The pristine beaches of K’gari are unpatrolled and have strong ocean currents. The surf was rough on Monday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with winds reaching 25 knots.

The management of dingoes on K’gari is a contentious issue, with numerous attacks reported on the World Heritage-listed sand island each year.

At least four dingo attacks were reported on K’gari in 2025, including one on a nine-year-old boy near Yidney Rocks Beachfront Units and another on a woman who was bitten on the hand at the island’s Winnam camping area when she was approached by five dingoes.

The most prominent fatal attack occurred in April 2001, when nine-year-old Brisbane boy Clinton Gage was fatally mauled by two dingoes while holidaying on the island with his family.

Algie said K’gari is a wilderness area, and urged people not to interact with the island’s dingo population.

“I implore all people that visit K’gari, which is a beautiful place, that you do not go near dingoes, that you do not feed dingoes, and that you just leave them to live their life,” he said.

“You need to move around them accordingly.”

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