Moscow resident Svetlana Guseva suffered a broken spine during a boat tour off Sakhalin Island after organizers allegedly ignored her requests for a slower ride.
The Russian pensioner had booked a dream holiday to the Pacific island through tour operator SakhalinTourist65, but ended up needing hospital treatment in Moscow after a high-speed sea excursion to the famous Aniva Lighthouse turned into a medical emergency.
Concerns over tour payments and age limits
According to Guseva, who reported the incident to Russian travel publication TourDom, the trip to Sakhalin had been a long-held ambition. She purchased subsidized round-trip plane tickets to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for 13,500 roubles before arranging excursions through SakhalinTourist65.
Guseva stated that she felt uneasy when asked to pay for excursions via direct card transfers to a private individual rather than under a formal contract. She had also specifically asked the agency before traveling whether the itinerary was suitable for tourists aged 60 and over, and representatives assured her she had nothing to worry about. However, her very first excursion on the island turned out to be an extended hike.
Rough seas at Aniva Lighthouse
Sakhalin is a large, mountainous island located off Russia's far eastern coast in the North Pacific Ocean. Its administrative center is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. One of the region's main attractions is the historic Aniva Lighthouse, a former Japanese-built structure perched on an isolated rock off the island's southeastern tip that can only be reached by navigating open sea waters.
The boat excursion to Cape Aniva proved far more dangerous than expected. Guseva said she and her friend were assigned seats at the bow of the vessel, an area prone to severe pitching where younger passengers are usually seated. Before setting off, staff handed out life jackets but conducted no formal safety briefing.
As strong waves built up, Guseva reported that the boat driver began maneuvering recklessly. The jarring impact of the vessel hitting the water resulted in a fracture to her spine. Halfway through the trip, the captain briefly stopped to ask if the passengers were doing well. Guseva informed him that she was suffering from severe back pain and asked him to slow down, but the captain replied that reducing speed was impossible and maintained his pace.
Rising medical bills and unanswered calls
Guseva received initial emergency medical care at a local hospital on Sakhalin before returning home to Moscow to continue specialized treatment. She said the tour agency subsequently stopped answering her communications and refused to issue a refund for the unused portions of her trip.
Her medical expenses have already exceeded 140,000 roubles. Medical staff have advised her that rehabilitation following such a spinal fracture will take between two and six months, while a full recovery will require approximately two years.
