California newlyweds abandoned during snorkeling trip on Hawaii honeymoon sue tour company

a Hawaii A California couple is being sued for $5 million after they claimed they were left in the ocean during a company snorkeling trip and swam 800 meters back to safety.

Alexander Burkle and Elizabeth Webster booked a trip from their home in the Oakland area with Maui Sail Company for their September 2021 honeymoon to Lanai, a small island near Maui.

During a 10am expedition from Lahaina Harbor, Maui, we were told to keep the boat in one spot for an hour while 42 other passengers snorkeled, but a couple swam out to sea.

However, they began to get caught in turbulent waves and after fifteen minutes of wrestling with the waves, they were unable to return to the boat.

“They feared imminent drowning,” the couple claimed in their lawsuit against Maui Sayle.

The couple desperately tried to stay afloat, but their efforts led them into deeper and more difficult waters.

All 44 passengers entered the water around 10:50 a.m., and passengers returned to the boat at various times, according to the lawsuit.

Burckle and Webster, both experienced snorkelers, spent about an hour in the water before starting to get back on the boat.

The lawsuit claims the two were facing waves up to 8 feet high and realized the only way to survive was to swim to Lanai, which their tour guide had recommended.

They “began to panic and were having trouble swimming in sea conditions,” they added in their lawsuit.

Luckily, the couple was able to make it to the shores of the island, but they were unwell, claiming they were “tired and dehydrated” in their suits.

They turned to several traditional methods of drawing attention for rescue, such as writing “SOS” and “HELP” in the island’s sand.

They were later found and given water and telephone use by local Lanai residents identified as RJ and Shra Sanches.

According to the complaint, when Webster contacted Sail Maui at about 1:15 p.m., three hours after they went missing, they did not realize anyone was missing from the tour. claims to have acknowledged

They said the chief officer counted three people and twice said he was two under 44 guests, and then counted the third time and wrongly said all 44 were on board. said.

Their attorney, Jared Waskowitz, also claims they were not given boundaries and did not identify lifeguards or any kind of system for tourists to help each other.

Luckily, the couple made it to the shores of Lanai, but they were sick and complained that they were “tired and dehydrated.”

Sail Maui is being sued for $5 million after a couple claimed they were abandoned at sea during one of the company’s snorkeling packages.

Jessica Herbert, a fellow passenger on that cruise, told Good Morning America that staff assured guests that “everyone was on board.”

“Everything was explained and we started taking off. No one was looking behind them,” Herbert added.

She claimed that the crew did not force everyone to stay in place, but was left to count people moving around below deck.

Their attorney, Jared Waskowitz, also claims they were not given boundaries and did not specify a system for lifeguards and tourists to help each other.

Jessica Herbert, a fellow passenger on that cruise, told Good Morning America that staff assured guests that “everyone was on board.”

The lawsuit alleges that Sail Maui realized the only way to survive was to leave facing eight-foot-high waves and swim to the island, which the tour guide had objected to.

“It can be very rough water even for experienced sea people, and even more so for visitors who have no sea experience or especially Hawaii sea experience,” he said. rice field.

A Coast Guard investigation into the incident found the captain’s negligence, and the company subsequently amended its procedures to require voice communication with each passenger, according to the complaint. buzzfeed.

“They spent a lot of time in the water. If they weren’t young, healthy and athletic, they probably would have drowned,” the attorney added.

A spokesman for Sail Maui declined to comment.