Pregnant mom, husband drown while snorkeling on babymoon in Hawaii; leave behind 18-month-old son

MAUI (Gray News) – A pregnant mother and her husband from Washington state drowned while snorkeling on their vacation in Hawaii.

A GoFundMe page identified the couple as Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk.

According to the Maui County Fire Department, Ilya Tsaruk was 25 years old and Sophia Tsaruk was 26.

Firefighters said they responded to a call for snorkelers in distress on Saturday afternoon along the north side of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve on the island of Maui.

First responders said they pulled two people from the water, and both were unresponsive.

Firefighters performed CPR, but sadly, neither the husband nor wife could be saved. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the GoFundMe page, Sophia Tsaruk was pregnant with the couple’s second child, a baby girl.

According to KITV, the baby was due in December, and the couple was planning on naming her Melody.

The Tsaruks leave behind an 18-month-old son, who was staying with his aunt and uncle at the time of his parents’ deaths, the GoFundMe read.

KITV reports that the Tsaruks were vacationing with two other couples when the tragedy occurred, including Ilya Tsaruk’s brother and his wife.

The vacation was said to be the Tsaruks’ babymoon, while also celebrating their anniversary.

The GoFundMe is aiming to raise money to bring the bodies back home from Hawaii and to pay for funeral expenses.

The page described the Tsaruks as being very religious and asked for prayers.

“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. 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,” the page read.

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