A babymoon couple has died while snorkelling in Hawaii, raising questions about the dangers of equipment often used in the holiday activity.
Ilya, 25, and Sophia Tsaruk, 26, of Snohomish, Washington, drowned Saturday while snorkeling in unpatrolled waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, and family and experts speculate their deaths may be related to their use of full-face snorkel masks.
Several snorkeling accidents have been reported over the years, including deaths associated with the use of full-face snorkel masks, which has increased Concerns about the equipment and effectiveness of the mask’s CO2 filtration system.
Using full-face scuba gear can result in rebreathing, which is when you inhale most of what you exhaled (mostly carbon dioxide).
This leads to hypercapnia and hypoxemia (both of which occur when there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood) which can lead to shortness of breath and respiratory failure.
Ilya, 25, and Sophia Tsaruk, 26, of Snohomish, Washington, drowned Saturday while snorkeling in unsupervised waters off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. The cause of their deaths is believed to be related to their use of full-face snorkel masks.
Several snorkeling accidents, including deaths associated with the use of full-face snorkel masks, have been reported, raising concerns about the equipment and the effectiveness of the mask’s CO2 filtration system.
The young couple were on vacation to celebrate their upcoming second child when the tragedy occurred.
“I felt like the mask was suffocating me and I had to take it off so I could breathe,” said Ilya’s sister-in-law Taisiya Tsaruk, who was on holiday with the now-deceased couple.
“I think that played a role (in their deaths), because, as I said, I was out of breath with the mask on and we were wearing the same one,” he added.
Full-face snorkel masks are widely used in vacation spots, particularly by “tourist divers,” and were adopted as personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While these masks provide an “easier” alternative to the traditional mask and snorkel combination, there are concerns about the possibility of re-breathing exhaled gas high in carbon dioxide, a National Library of Medicine Study revealed.
Compared to a standard snorkel, full-face snorkel masks have a larger “dead space” (space with non-recycled air), which can lead to a buildup of carbon dioxide that causes headaches, dizziness, panic, and even loss of consciousness.
“The reason they’re not safe makes sense to us; namely, the full-face mask and snorkel combination has a much larger volume than a standard snorkel,” said Tony Hoff, a dive shop employee in Kailua. News from the island.
“You could be building up a volume of CO2 inside that mask that prevents you from getting enough oxygen. That’s why we stopped selling full-face mask and snorkel combinations a long time ago,” he explained.
The group was snorkeling in the unguarded waters of the Ahihi-Kinua Nature Reserve (pictured) in West Maui.
“I felt like the mask was suffocating me and I had to take it off so I could breathe,” said Ilya’s sister-in-law Taisiya Tsaruk, who was on holiday with the now-deceased couple. Pictured: Ilya’s brother Tony and his wife Taisiya
The couple leaves their 18-month-old son, now orphaned, in the care of the family.
Other concerns have been raised regarding the use of full face scuba gear, including difficulty removing the mask, difficulty clearing water from the mask, fogging, and claustrophobia, among others.
The young couple were on holiday to celebrate their upcoming second child when tragedy struck.
Sophia was not a strong swimmer and mentioned feeling a little sick when they put on their snorkel masks and entered the 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.
The couple leaves their 18-month-old son, now orphaned, in the care of their family.
A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the boy and bring his parents home has surpassed its $100,000 goal since it was launched Sunday.