A boy was left with nothing but photographs of his young parents as the family revealed details of how the couple died while snorkelling on the first day of their honeymoon in Hawaii.
Sophia Tsaruk, 26, was 30 weeks pregnant with baby Logan’s younger sister when she swam in the waters off Ahihi-Kinau on Saturday morning.
Moments later, she and her husband, Ilya, 25, were being rescued by lifeguards who fought to save their lives before they were pronounced dead on the shore.
“The water was calm, there were no unusual weather conditions or anything,” said Ilya’s sister, Taisiya Tsaruk, who accompanied them on the trip to Maui. he told KITV.
We thought we were fine. What could happen?
Eighteen-month-old Logan is staying with relatives after his parents drown.
Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk of Snohomish, Washington with their son Logan
The Snohomish, Washington couple had just purchased a new home and traveled to the Hawaiian island to celebrate Sophia’s pregnancy.
Tiasiya was joined by her husband, Anatoliy, and another couple, and the six headed to the beach on the west of the island for the first full day of their holiday.
Sophia, 26, was not a strong swimmer and said she felt a little sick when they donned snorkel masks and waded into unsupervised waters.
The group split up to explore the seabed before another swimmer approached Tiasiya and told her he had heard screams in the water.
First responders were called at 12:02 p.m. and a lifeguard on a jet ski found Sophia floating unconscious in the water before bringing her to shore.
Emergency crews then returned to search for Ilya, who had disappeared from sight before divers found him on the seabed more than 100 metres from the beach.
A bystander filmed the frantic attempts by rescuers to resuscitate the couple as their horrified relatives watched.
Taisiya believes the snorkel masks the couple were wearing may have played a role in their deaths.
Ilya’s brother, Anatoily, and his wife, Taisiya, had joined the couple for the trip to Maui.
Rescuers desperately tried to resuscitate the young parents after they were pulled from the water.
The group was snorkeling in unguarded waters of the Ahihi-Kinua Nature Reserve, west of Maui (pictured: Ahihi-Kinua Nature Reserve)
The couple were devout churchgoers and both sang in their worship group’s choir.
“When we were in the water I felt a loss of breath, like I couldn’t breathe,” she told KITV.
‘I felt like the mask was suffocating me and I had to take it off to be able to breathe.
‘They both drowned, but she had her mask on, which I don’t know.
“I think that had an impact, because, like I said, I was out of breath with the mask on and we were wearing the same one.”
Social media in Hawaii has been filled with comments from dismayed locals warning of the dangers that snorkel masks pose to inexperienced users when exhaled air is not expelled properly.
“There have been multiple drownings due to these masks,” Kristina Lopez-Mata wrote. “They should be banned, it’s a problem that continues here.”
‘Anyone who lives here knows not to use them.’
The tragedy remains under investigation and Anatoliy said he is not convinced the masks proved fatal.
“We don’t believe he suffocated with the mask,” he said.
“It is possible that this contributed to scaring her and causing her to panic. For now, it is all mere speculation.”
Eighteen-month-old Logan is staying with an aunt and uncle. GoFundMe The campaign to raise money for the boy and bring his parents home has surpassed its goal of $100,000 since it was launched on Sunday.
“He is not alone for a moment,” said Sophia’s older sister, Ilona Tsymbalyuk.
‘Everyone is constantly turning to want to hug him because they left a little bit of him and her in him.’
The couple had just purchased a new home for their growing family.
“They were very excited about life and what the future held for them,” said Ilya’s sister, Taisiya Tsaruk.
“Her birthday is the day after Christmas,” the sister added.
‘She always talked about how she could give birth to that little girl she dreamed of on her birthday.
‘They planned to call her Melody because they both sang.’
A home video has emerged of Sophia conducting her church choir during a solo, with GoFundMe organiser Andrey Tupikov saying the young mother “had the voice of an angel”.
“The Kovalevich and Tsaruk families are in mourning today, and this pain will not pass soon, but we continue to pray and rely on the Lord,” he wrote.
“We were lucky to have had both of them in our lives and we are left with the sweet memories and moments we shared together.”
Taisiya said the couple were excited at the idea of having a baby sister for little Logan.
“They were preparing the baby’s room,” he added.
“They were very excited about life and what the future held for them.”