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A California newlywed is suing Hawaii snorkeling company Sail Maui for $5 million after being left in the ocean for hours and having to swim to shore.
Honeymooners Elizabeth “Bette” Webster and Alexander Burkle booked a snorkeling trip off the Lanai Coast on their honeymoon.
An hour into the excursion, the couple began to notice that the large catamaran they had booked was drifting in the distance. Webster and Burckle had her swim for 30 minutes to get back to the boat, but didn’t get very far. The couple called for help when the waves swelled to six to eight feet, according to the complaint. They were half a mile from land.
Eventually the catamaran sailed to the next snorkeling site, leaving the couple behind.
Webster and Burkle had no choice but to swim to shore. They arrived at the beach exhausted and dehydrated.
“If it wasn’t for a young, healthy couple, they probably would have drowned,” said attorney Jared Waskowitz. told the Washington Post.
Webster, alone on the beach with no money or cell phone, wrote “Help” and “SOS” in the sand. Rescued by residents. They called Sails Maui.
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“They felt like they were dying”
In the lawsuit against Sail Maui, the couple allege that the tour captain was at fault for failing to count the proper number of people.
Jess Hebert, one of 42 other snorkelers on the catamaran that day, told The Washington Post that he had spoken to the couple about the incident. “They felt like they were dying,” she said. “They were so scared.”
Although the incident took place in 2021, Waskowitz said: told USA Today The couple is still traumatized by it.
“They are undergoing psychological treatment and have physical symptoms of anxiety,” he said.