Annie Walton Doyle
The harrowing moment a man drowned after proposing underwater is being called the ‘cruellest twist of fate’.
Having an extravagant proposal is seen by some to be the perfect way to begin a marriage. However, an unusual proposal can also pose unforeseen dangers.
The story of Steven Weber, who drowned after his underwater proposal went horribly wrong, has left the internet heartbroken.
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People have taken to social media and shared their devastation at the tragedy.
One commenter writes: “This is just heartbreaking.”
Another adds: “This really hits hard.”
“This is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” comments a third. “They will always love each other.”
Steven Weber, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had gone on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Tanzania with his girlfriend of two years, Kenesha Antoine, in 2019.
During their trip, the couple stayed at The Manta Resort, off Pemba Island.
Weber, who had been snorkelling many times and was described as a strong swimmer, planned to propose to Antoine by swimming in front of the windows of their underwater hotel room.
He held up a piece of paper, one side of which read: “I can’t hold my breath for long enough to tell you everything I love about you BUT everything I love about you I love more EVERY DAY!”
He flipped the paper over to ask his girlfriend to marry him and presented her with a ring.
But tragically, Weber never managed to surface from the dive.
Weber’s sister, Mandy Hoffman, tells the Associated Press that Antoine went to the deck level of the structure, which is anchored to the seafloor by cables, but Weber never surfaced.
She added that Antoine tried to seek help, however, she was unable to reach resort personnel by phone or radio. She would end up flagging down a passing boater.
Antoine took to Facebook after losing Weber and penned: “You never emerged from those depths, so you never got to hear my answer, ‘Yes! Yes! A million times, yes, I will marry you!!’
“We never got to embrace and celebrate the beginning of the rest of our lives together, as the best day of our lives turned into the worst, in the cruellest twist of fate imaginable.
“I will try to take solace in the fact that we enjoyed the most amazing bucket list experiences these past few days, and that we both were so happy and absolutely giddy with excitement in our final moments together.”
In an interview with KSLA, Weber’s sister would describe her brother as a ‘romantic’, adding: “And I hate that this is the memory that she’s (Antoine) going to have… She’s part of our family now and I don’t ever want her to feel alone.”
Following the tragedy, The Manta Resort said in a statement: “It is with the deepest regret that we inform that a fatal accident occurred at The Manta Resort on Thursday 19, September 2019.”
Matthew Saus, CEO of the resort, told the BBC his staff responded to a ‘problem in the water’, but that by the times they had arrived ‘absolutely nothing could be done’.
A spokesperson for the US Department of State said: “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.
“We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”
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