Instagram models drown to death after refusing to ruin tans with life jackets

Two Instagram models denied their boat captain’s warning to wear a life jacket, resulting in their deaths when the boat capsized.

On September 29, Instagram models Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, drowned to death when a speedboat they were on capsized.

At the time of their death, the women were being carted back to shore from a yacht party in Devil’s Throat along the Iguazu River in Brazil. Due to being overcrowded, the speedboat began to sink.

Despite warnings from others, police confirmed that the Instagram models refused to wear life jackets because they didn’t want to ruin their tans or photos.

“Some didn’t want to put them on because they were taking selfies,” São Vicente Police Commissioner Marcos Alexandra Alfino said. “They said that they get in the way of their tanning.”

According to the speedboat captain, he was asked to carry six passengers back to shore. Though his capacity limit was five, he agreed to carry the entire group. Police said the rough water conditions combined with the weight being carried ultimately threw the passengers into the water.

The boat captain told police that he attempted to save the passengers, but could not help the models in time.

Faria’s body was found by Brazil’s Maritime Firefighters after she drifted out to sea, while Amorim’s body was recovered from the coast of Itaquitanduva Beach a week later.

Just moments before their death, Amorim posted photos to social media of herself aboard the yacht. She could be seen wearing a baby blue bikini and matching coverup.

Following their deaths, one of the survivors, Vanessa Audrey da Silva, said she latched onto a rock after the speedboat capsized. “There was a moment in the water when no one could see anyone,” she said. “I was fighting for my life.”

Several other social media influencers have been found dead within the last couple of months, as well. In October, an Instagram model known as Ana Fabiola, was found stabbed to death in her home. TikToker Demaris Martinez died a month prior after she was struck by two vehicles while crossing a busy highway.