Couple allegedly abandoned at sea by snorkeling tour company
With its vast, unexplored waters, the ocean is a terrifying place for many. For some, it would be their worst nightmare to get abandoned in the middle of the sea with who-knows-what lurking beneath the blue depths. For this pair of newlyweds, the nightmare turned into reality.
Couple Elizabeth Webster and Alexander Burckle have brought legal charges against a Hawaiian tour company after they were allegedly abandoned at sea during a snorkeling tour.
In a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, the pair rented a snorkeling tour managed by Sail Maui for their honeymoon back in September 2021, in which they explored around the island of Lanai. However, what should have been a romantic and enjoyable experience turned catastrophic as Webster and Burckle were reportedly left stranded in the middle of the sea by the boat.
The complaint detailed that they were "half a mile off shore, now in 60-80 ft. deep water, and among 6-8 ft. rolling waves."
After two hours of battling through "increasingly rough" waters, the couple managed to reach the shore of the island, where they were eventually rescued. According to their attorney Jared Washkowitz, whospoke with The Washington Post, they would have almost drowned if they weren't "young and fit."
"The conditions were getting worse as they were out there. They're lucky to get back," Washkowitz said.
In another report by The Independent, Webster and Burckle claimed that the boat's captain did not give a specific time everyone should be back on the boat, nor did he give any instructions in case of emergencies.
One snorkeler who was in the same tour, Jess Hebert, recalled that she and the couple were the ones who swam the farthest from the boat. When she returned to the vessel, she asked if Webster and Burckle had returned as well. The crew told her that a headcount had already done a headcount and that all 44 passengers were present.
However, it seemed like that was not the case. After the boat began to sail, the couple said that they tried to swim after it, but the rough waters impeded them. They claimed that they were trying to call out to the crew by using their hands, but the distance between them was already too great.
After they reached the island, Webster tried to signal for help from a passing boat by writing "help" and "SOS" in the sand, which was unsuccessful. Eventually, help arrived after they encountered two Lanai residents, who helped them return to Maui on a ferry.
They then filed a police report and a Coast Guard investigation "concluded that the vessel master negligently performed duties with regard to operating the vessel."
They are now seeking compensation for negligence and emotional distress.
A similar incident happened way back in 1998, wherein a married coupled named Tom and Eileen Lonergan who went on a diving trip, but their boat mistakenly went to shore without them. The company then realized their mistake days later, but it was too late as their bodies were never discovered. Their story inspired the 2003 horror film Open Water.
