Colleen Monfore, a retired 68-year-old mother of two from Holland, Michigan, vanished on September 26, 2024 during a diving trip around Pulau Reong Island, Indonesia. Monfore, exploring the waters with friends, encountered strong currents that swept her away from the diving group. Despite her guide’s attempts to pull her back, Monfore disappeared into the ocean.
A search for Monfore spanned eight days but ended without success. Then, on October 3, a fisherman in Timor-Leste, approximately 70 miles from where she was last seen, caught a shark he suspected of ingesting debris or a fishing net. However, when the shark was cut open, the fisherman discovered human remains along with portions of a black wetsuit and bathing suit inside its stomach. The fisherman described the discovery: “The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net.”
According to Rick Sass, a longtime friend who has remained closely involved with the family during this difficult time, authorities were able to identify Monfore through her fingerprints.
In a Facebook post, Rick’s wife, Kim Sass, noted that there was a down current at the turnaround site, but it was manageable. She shared that she had completed over a thousand dives with Monfore and did not believe the environment or a shark was responsible for her death.
Rick Sass added that the Monfores had dived with them on numerous trips over 30 years to locations like Bali, the Philippines, and Bikini Atoll, indicating that Monfore was highly experienced. He said that her husband Mike suspects she may have suffered a medical issue in the water.
The Sasses, who operated a dive shop together for over 40 years, reviewed dive photos, discussed the incident extensively with Mike Monfore and examined data from his dive computer. They are convinced that she likely became separated from the group when turbulent waters caused them to turn back and that she did not die of a shark attack. Rick mentioned that she was about 24 feet underwater with approximately half a tank of air remaining when she disappeared.
Rick Sass mentioned that Mike Monfore is struggling with his wife’s death and with the challenge of bringing her remains back home. He hasn’t been sleeping, partly due to the need to handle phone calls with Indonesia, which operates on a 12-hour time difference. He has been taking calls during the night and talking with friends throughout the day, which has added to his sleeplessness amid this tragic situation.
Indonesian authorities have confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.
