By Amy Graff / SFGate
A 26-year-old pregnant mother and her 25-year-old husband drowned Saturday while snorkeling in the waters off Maui, leaving behind a toddler, according to authorities and an online fundraiser.
Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk were on vacation in Hawaii and had left their 18-month-old, Logan, with relatives, the GoFundMe page said. The Tsaruks lived in Snohomish, according to KING5.
At noon Saturday, the Maui County Fire Department responded to a report of swimmers struggling in the waters of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, located in the island’s southwest corner, 6 miles south of Wailea, according to a news release. The reserve is a popular spot for snorkeling, as it still has intact coral colonies, according to Dan Dennison, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
“The only thing I found challenging in that area is it’s hard to get in the ocean there because it’s a rocky coastline,” he noted. Dennison added that there is no lifeguard stationed in the area, though signage on ocean safety is posted. Dennison said it’s advised that people never snorkel alone, so this couple was doing what’s recommended by going in the water together.
“This is really unusual,” he said.
The fire department arrived at the north side of the reserve with a number of first responders. Sophia, 26, was unresponsive when she was pulled from the water by a first responder on a jet ski; efforts to revive her with CPR failed, the department said. Ilya was found at the bottom of the ocean about 100 to 150 yards from shore. CPR was also administered, but first responders were unable to resuscitate him as well.
The Maui County Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An online fundraiser for funeral expenses had raised over $139,000 by Thursday morning. The remaining money would be used for their toddler’s future. It noted the couple sang together in their church. Sophia Tsaruk’s sister, Ilona Tsymbalyuk, told Hawaii’s IslandNews the couple planned to name their next child Melody.
“We are blessed to have had both of them in our lives and are left now with the sweet memories and moments that we shared together with them,” the fundraiser states. “Their serving spirit and warm company will never be forgotten, and may God help us all to love and serve one another as Ilya and Sophia served.”
A celebration of life for the couple and Melody was scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at Sulamita Slavic Church in Mukilteo, 12420 Evergreen Dr.
Their burial was set for noon the following day at Evergreen Funeral Home and Cemetery in Everett, 4504 Broadway.
Herald staff contributed to this report.
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