Two Brazilian social media personalities who tragically lost their lives drowned while they were part of a group of boaters who allegedly refused to wear life jackets as they posed for selfies at a yacht gathering.
The incident shocked observers off the coast of Brazil in a zone known as Devil’s Throat, a place celebrated for its striking scenery but also notorious for hazardous, churning waters. Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, appeared to place the need for the perfect shot above their own safety, a choice that may have cost them dearly.
The pair had been enjoying a day of “cruising” and “tanning” aboard a speedboat crowded with influencers when a deadly wave suddenly overwhelmed a second boat they had moved to on Sept. 29, according to G1 Globo.
In a conversation with the outlet, Sao Vincente police Commissioner Marcos Alexandre Alfino disclosed that witnesses said some of the women on the boating excursion did not want to wear life jackets. “Some chose not to wear them because they were taking selfies,” he stated. “They claimed they interfered with their tanning.”
The unsettling details emerged from police interviews with witnesses, including the man who captained the capsized vessel. He told investigators he had been ordered to return six passengers to shore, pushing beyond his boat’s stated capacity, according to the local news outlet. When the robust wave hit, the boat became too heavy and overturned, hurling all seven people aboard into the sea. Panic ensued in the ensuing chaos.
Survivor Vanessa Audrey da Silva recounted the chaotic moment to G1 Globo. After a day of festivities and sightseeing with a large group, the influencers reportedly split into two boats for the journey back to shore, and that’s when a wave overwhelmed one of them.
After managing to secure a life jacket, she clung to rocks in the water to avoid drowning. “There was a moment when, in the water, there was no one in sight. I was fighting for my life,” she said.
Before de Amorim’s body was recovered, da Silva stated, “Five people managed to reach that rock, and she was wearing a vest. So, the hope is that she is there.”
In the ensuing turmoil, survivor Camila Alves de Carvalho clutched a life jacket in a desperate bid to stay afloat.
“The waves were extremely strong, and we came extremely close to dying. We didn’t know how to swim,” she told local news outlets, adding that she injured her foot and inhaled seawater while struggling to survive. “We threw ourselves onto the rocks,” she remembered.
Brazil’s Maritime Firefighters recovered da Silva Faria’s body from the ocean on Oct. 2. The other victim, de Amorim, allegedly could not swim and was later found washed ashore at Itaquitanduva Beach two days afterward. According to G1 Globo, she was a mother to a 17-year-old son and had previously shared images of herself posing on the boat before the tragedy unfolded.
Police Commissioner Alfino indicated that investigators are still examining the incident to determine whether reckless or negligent actions contributed to the deaths.
