On their honeymoon, an American couple accuses a ship’s crew of a serious crime

A US couple is taking legal action against a Hawaiian tour operator, asking for $5 million in damages. According to their suit, they were deserted at sea during an excursion focused on snorkelling activities.

Elizabeth Webster and her beloved husband, Alexander Burkle, embarked on their romantic honeymoon to Hawaii in September 2021; it was then that they booked an adventure with Seal Maui for snorkelling!

NBC News reported that, based on court documents, 44 passengers embarked from Lahaina Port at 10 a.m., the couple included, and were supposed to return around 3 p.m.

The couple in the documents states that although their ship captain outlined a plan to dock at a specific place for an hour before carrying on with their journey, he failed to mention when they would be returning back onto the vessel and didn’t provide any safety instructions if something were to go wrong. In other words, passengers were left unprepared in case of an emergency.

As per the legal action, at around 10:50 in the morning, Burkle and his wife – both experienced divers who have frequently visited this area – jumped into the water for a swim.

By 11:50am, the couple had begun their journey back to the boat. Unfortunately, choppy waves hindered them and after just fifteen minutes of swimming they realized that they were no closer to safety than when they started.

At around 12:20 p.m., after a strenuous swim, it was evident that the vessel had drifted away from its original position an hour and half ago; hence they began waving their hands in hopes of getting the ship to come back for them with no possibility left for survival.

The suit explains that the couple desperately attempted to swim in the opposite direction of the ship, yet they were engulfed by a deepening abyss with no other way out. As panic began to set in, realizing they had inadvertently been swept into an empty ocean and feared drowning.

When Burkle and his wife understood that their ship would not turn to collect them, they comprehended that the only way back home was a half-mile trek along the shoreline.

Exhausted and dehydrated, the couple eventually arrived at the beach around 1 pm, where they were luckily aided by a local inhabitant.

This lawsuit claimed that while on the boat, a passenger notified one of the crew members that Burkle and his spouse had ventured far into the ocean during their journey; however, they were informed by another crew member to return.

The lawsuit also alleged that the crew carelessly miscalculated everyone who resurfaced from the dives, and egregiously failed to instruct participants to sit down while counting passengers, ensuring each individual’s safe return.

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