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A US couple is suing a Hawaiin Scuba Dive operator for leaving them stranded at sea after a snorkelling adventure during their honeymoon. In a terrifying experience that resembles the plot of Open Water, the couple claims that after surfacing from their dive, they found themselves alone in open water, and the boat had returned to shore without them. The couple is now suing Sail Maui for $5m (£4m) for general damages and emotional distress.

The newlyweds, Elizabeth Webster and Alexander Burckle, booked the excursion with Sail Maui in September 2021 and after being told the boat would stop for ‘about an hour’ they went for a dive. The couple claims that following the dive they attempted to swim to the boat, only to see it sail away into the distance.

“Plaintiffs realised the vessel had left them and was not coming back for them. They decided that their only option for survival at that point was to return to shore.”

Left in rough seas, the stranded couple began paddling towards the shore a few kilometres away, eventually reaching safety hours later where they were assisted by locals. The exhausted pair were treated for exhaustion and dehydration.

The tour operator claimed that they did a headcount three times, but still managed to miss the stranded couple.

The story is similar to the ordeals of Thomas and Eileen Lonergan, who were unintentionally abandoned off Australia’s northeast coast on 25 January 1998. On that occasion, the boat crew only realised the couple was missing two days later after finding some of their personal belongings on the boat.

A massive search was launched but the couple was never found and presumed dead. About a month later, police confirmed that a wetsuit believed to belong to Eileen washed ashore in North Queensland. Experts noted at the time that the couple may have become delirious from fear and dehydration and removed their wetsuits before drowning. The incident led to a major overhaul of regulations guiding diving tour operators.

The incident served as the inspiration for the movie Open Water.

[source:bbc&wikipedia]