Newlyweds Allegedly Abandoned at Sea by Maui Snorkeling Tour Suing Company: 'Felt Like They Were Going to Die'
A pair of newlyweds has filed a lawsuit against a Hawaiian tour company after they were allegedly abandoned at sea during a chartered snorkeling tour.
Elizabeth "Bette" Webster and Alexander Burckle filed the suit against Sail Maui on Feb. 21, claiming that a boat left them behind during a tour around the island of Lanai on their September 2021 honeymoon, according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
Sail Maui did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The couple, who are both Stanford-educated chemists, say they spent two hours in the water amid increasingly rough seas before they were able to reach the shore of the island, where they were eventually rescued. Their attorney Jared Washkowitz told The Washington Post, they likely would have drowned if they weren't "young and fit."
"The conditions were getting worse as they were out there," Washkowitz said. "They're lucky to get back."
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Another snorkeler on the outing, Jess Hebert, who spoke to the Post, said things seemed normal when the boat arrived at the first snorkeling spot, noting she and the couple swam the farthest from the boat.
After she arrived back at the boat, Hebert said she asked if the couple had returned, too, and was told that the crew performed a head count and everyone was accounted for. The complaint states the headcount was conducted while passengers moved freely about the vessel.
In the water, Webster and Burckle say they were trying to swim back to the boat but unable to make progress amid the growing waves. They claim that they used the hand signals as instructed to call for help, but realized the boat was getting further and further away.
"If we looked behind us, probably would have seen Bette and her husband," Hebert said. "Everything seemed totally normal . . . I had no idea."
RELATED: 25-Year-Old Woman Dies While Snorkeling in the Florida Keys
Alexander Burckle
The couple was half a mile off shore, now in 60-80 ft. deep water and among 6-8 ft. rolling waves, the complaint states.
Already exhausted, they realized they would have to swim toward land and began paddling "as hard as they could" toward an abandoned resort, Old Club Lanai, using the landmarks to navigate a course when the waves allowed, per the complaint. They say they reached the beach around 1 p.m. — over two hours after they arrived to the snorkeling site.
Webster wrote "help" and "SOS" in the sand, the filing says, as the couple unsuccessfully tried to get the attention of a passing boat. They eventually encountered two Lanai residents, who helped them return to Maui on a ferry.
The couple filled out a police report and a Coast Guard investigation "concluded that the vessel master negligently performed duties with regard to operating the vessel," according to the complaint.
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Hebert encountered the couple again at a shopping mall the next day, according to the Post. "They felt like they were going to die," she recalled. "They were so scared."
"It kind of ruined the honeymoon," Washkowitz said.
