A husband and wife, pregnant with their second child, tragically lost their lives while snorkeling in Hawaii this past weekend.
“Maui firefighters and ocean safety personnel responded to a report of swimmers/snorkelers in distress in the area of the north side of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve,” the Maui County Fire Department said in a statement regarding the incident on September 14.
One officer saw an “unresponsive 26-year-old female” who he pulled from the water and brought back to shore to receive CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). While officers worked on the woman, searchers returned to the water to look for her 25-year-old husband. He was found “at the bottom,” the fire department said [of the ocean]”100-150 yards from shore.”
“Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and both parties were declared dead at the scene,” the statement said.
Authorities have not released the names of those who died, but a GoFundMe page confirmed their identities as Ilya Tsaruk, 25, and Sophia Kovalevich, 26. “Sophia was pregnant with a baby girl and left behind their 18-month-old baby Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle at the time,” organizer Andrey Tupikov wrote.
The fundraiser, which raised about $120,000 toward a goal of $100,000, will be used to cover funeral and transportation expenses. “After all transportation and funeral expenses, any remaining funds will be responsibly allocated and stored to facilitate little Logan’s future life,” Tupikov said. “There are many obstacles we anticipate to make sure he is cared for in every way, and we are so grateful that so many people have opened their hearts to help.”
The funerals of Tsaruk and Kovalevich are scheduled for September 25. “We are very lucky to have had both of them in our lives and now we are left alone with the sweet memories and moments we shared with them,” Tupikov wrote.