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• A couple sued a Hawaii snorkeling company for $5 million, saying they were abandoned in the ocean.
• The couple’s lawsuit said they were left stranded during a snorkeling tour.
• The couple, who were in Maui for their honeymoon, feared they would drown, the lawsuit said.

A California couple filed a $5 million lawsuit against a Hawaii tour company, saying they were abandoned in the ocean during a snorkeling excursion while on their honeymoon.

Elizabeth Webster and Alexander Burckle were honeymooning in Hawaii in September 2021 when they booked a snorkeling tour with Sail Maui. The pair, both experienced snorkelers, purchased tickets for a snorkeling tour to Lanai, a small island close to Maui.

The complaint says that after the vessel arrived at the snorkeling site, the captain told the group they’d have an hour to explore before moving to another location. Webster and Burckle said in the lawsuit that they were given no advice about a specific return time, how to get back to the boat, or what explicitly to do in case of an emergency.

At first they were snorkeling in calm and clear waters, but the water became more turbulent, the lawsuit said. They tried to swim toward the boat, but it had already begun departing for the next location, the complaint said.

The lawsuit said that crew members performed three headcounts but that other passengers later said people were not made to sit or stay still for the roll call. “It was just too disorganized,” Jessica Hebert, who was also on the tour, told Hawaii News Now. “Everybody kept moving, so they easily got missed.”

The lawsuit said the couple continued to swim and make distress signals, eventually ending up in deep, turbulent water. “Plaintiffs were beginning to panic and were struggling to swim in the ocean conditions,” it added. “They feared that drowning was imminent.”

The complaint said they eventually reached the shore of Lanai and were “fatigued and dehydrated.” Webster wrote “HELP” and “SOS” in the sand, but no boats came to their rescue.

Eventually local residents found them, allowed them to use their phones, and gave them water, the complaint said.

The lawsuit said that when Webster called Sail Maui, it apparently hadn’t noticed anyone had gone missing from the tour.

The complaint says Sail Maui has since changed its protocol. Sail Maui did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

The couple is seeking compensation for general damages for emotional distress.

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