A Hawaii tour company is accused of abandoning a honeymooning couple in the ocean off the island of Lanai during a snorkeling tour, forcing them to swim to shore.
Instead, the boat left and abandoned Webster and Burckle in the open ocean a half-mile from shore, they alleged in a lawsuit filed Feb. 21 against Sail Maui, the tour company.
Hebert, also an experienced swimmer, said she, Webster and Burckle swam out the farthest from the boat. She recalled waving to them but later got separated as she searched for coral reef and fish. When Hebert clambered back onto the boat, she said, she told the crew that Webster and Burckle had swam past her and asked whether they were aboard. The crew said they were and then performed a head count, she said.
Webster and Burckle continued swimming toward the boat into deeper water before realizing their predicament, according to the lawsuit. They panicked, buffeted by a rolling surf that swelled between six and eight feet high and obscured view of the shore. They were about a half-mile from land.“The conditions were getting worse as they were out there,” Washkowitz said. “They’re lucky to get back.”
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