Of all the deadly encounters that come to a surfer’s mind, one with a fish probably wouldn’t even make the list. Yet, for a 36-year-old surfing coach, the bizarre encounter proved fatal. Veteran Surfer Giulia Manfrini was having just another day at the office, surfing waves at Masokut Island in the Mentawai archipelago in Indonesia, when she met with a freak accident.

According to eyewitness accounts from Massimo Ferro and Alexandre Ribas, a swordfish-like fish leaped out of the water and stuck Manfrini square in her chest. The Italian surfer didn’t even have time to react before the fish struck her. However, the influencer didn’t go down immediately and signaled the two eyewitnesses who watched the bizarre incident unfold.

According to a report by The Telegraph, Massimo Ferro and Alexandre Ribas provided first aid and got Giulia Manfrini to the nearest clinic. Unfortunately, despite the swift actions of the two foreigners, Pei Pei Pasakiat Taileleu Health Center couldn’t save the surfing influencer’s life. They revealed that Manfrini had a five-centimeter-deep stab wound on the upper-left side of her chest. The resort revealed that the Manfrini was attacked by a needlefish, which looks similar to a swordfish but belongs to a different family.

However, there is no information if the fish penetrated the heart or other vital organs. News of the surfer’s passing sent shockwaves throughout her hometown, Venaria Reale. Venaria Reale’s mayor, Fabio Giulivi, mourned the passing of the passionate surfer and instructor on social media. “The entire Venarian community is gathering around Giulia Manfrini’s family.” Giulivi wrote on Instagram.

“The news of her death has left us shocked and makes us feel powerless in front of the tragedy that took her life so prematurely.” added the mayor while extending his support to the Manfrini. The 36-year-old had initially followed in her father’s footsteps with a law degree. However, her love for snowboarding and adventurous spirit drove her to turn pro.

Surfing came later in Giulia Manfrini’s life, but she fell in love with the sport. Years of snowboarding experience helped her transition to surfing. The late athlete was also active on social media, with nearly 24,000 followers on Instagram. Unfortunately, Giulia Manfrini’s is the second surfing-related incident within a week.

A young surfing enthusiast narrowly escaped Manfrini’s fate

Just like the late 36-year-old surfer, Teddy Wittemann met with a nightmarish experience last week halfway across the world. While the 16-year-old boy survived he had a narrow brush with death and could’ve lost his arm. The teenager was out surfing in Brevard County, Florida when a sudden jolt of pain across his arm broke his concentration.

Wittemann glanced over to see a 6-foot-long shark tightening its bite across his left arm. “Just out of nowhere, it got the inside of my arm… I felt this pressure on my arm, and I saw it along the side of my body. I knew exactly what was going on,” the surfer told WELSH2. The surfing enthusiast also said he believed a bull shark got hold of his arm, but thankfully it let go.

The 16-year-old somehow managed to paddle back to shore where rescuers rushed him to emergency care. Thankfully, the teenager will make a recovery. However, while surfers are well aware of the risk of shark attacks, what happened to Giulia Manfrini was a truly freak accident. In fact, unprovoked deaths in incidents involving swordfish are unheard of. The Telegraph reported that 47-year-old Randy Llanes died similarly in 2015. However, Llanes was a fishing boat captain she had attempted to spear the fish underwater.