The couple who were left at sea after taking a snorkelling tour to Lani Island, Hawaii. Photo/ Rawpixel; CC0
The couple who were left at sea after taking a snorkelling tour to Lani Island, Hawaii. Photo/ Rawpixel; CC0
Newlyweds from California have filed a lawsuit against a Hawaiian snorkelling company, which they claim forgot them and left them at sea.
Elizabeth Webster and Alexander Burckle who were on honeymoon in the Hawaiian Island of Maui.
Their lawsuit says the couple had booked a snorkelling tour aboard one of the boats of operators Sail Maui, in September 2021.
Departing for an excursion around the waters of Lani, an island off the west coast of Maui, it was an experience the couple booked on a whim as walk-up customers.
The couple’s attorneys say they were competent swimmers and experienced snorkellers, and they had no worries about a dive.
A 40 minute sail off shore, to the south coast of Lani, the operator’s website says it is popular for “stunning sea cliffs [and] uncrowded snorkelling sites”.
After enjoying the dive the couple began swimming back to the catamaran when, to their horror, they saw the boat begin to leave without them.
“When they started to go back to the vessel, they noticed it seemed to be getting further away,” their attorney Jared Washkowitz told Hawaii News Now.
“They kept swimming toward it, it kept getting further away, until they finally realised that the vessel left and that they had been abandoned in the water.”
The couple who swam after the boat and tried to get its attention said they followed it over a half kilometre offshore. Eventually they realised it was not coming back for them.
South Lani is a popular snorkelling location in Hawaii. Photo / Matt Flores, Unsplash
Washkowitz said his clients were traumatised and that they confided in him that they “thought they were going to die”.
The couple were able to swim 20 minutes back towards the shoreline to a beach where they could get out of the water.
Eventually they were discovered by some of the residents of the sparsely populated island.
“These people are coming here on their honeymoon, want a wonderful experience. Instead they had to face death, and that’s terrible for Hawaii, frankly,” said Douglas Moore, another of the couple’s legal team, in a statement to local news.
The couple’s case against the tour operator alleges they did not conduct a proper headcount.
Another holidaymaker, who had joined the same tour, said she felt the trip had been “disorganised” but was not aware that anyone had been left behind.
Webster and Burckle are now seeking compensation for general damages and emotional distress.
Tour operators Sail Maui told local media that they have since changed their safety protocols and headcount procedures.
