Kit Roberts
Loved ones of a couple who drowned in front of their children while on vacation have paid tribute following their tragic deaths, calling the horrifying ordeal a 'bad dream'.
Brian Warter and Erica Wishart had been on vacation on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Florida with their six children when tragedy struck.
The pair had been swimming in the ocean when they were swept out to sea by a powerful rip current.
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Despite being pulled from the water by rescuers, they were later pronounced dead in hospital.
Brian, 51, and Erica, 48, had been dating for over a year, and had been planning the holiday for over a month.
Family revealed that this trip was to be the first time the pair would have all of their children together at a condo owned by Brian's parents.
Erica was a mom to four children while Brian had two, and the pair had been excited for the family to spend time together.
Now the loved ones of Brian and Erica have paid tribute to the pair.
Brian's father Larry Warter told CBS12 News: “I keep wanting to wake up from a bad dream."
He added: “We’re still actually numb It’s sinking in slowly.”
Larry went on to describe how much the family had been looking forward to the trip.
“They were so thrilled, they couldn’t see straight about going down,” he said.
“This was the first time. This was the experiment. They had all six of their kids together. They had been planning it for over a month.”
Larry described how the couple had been looking forward to building their future together.
He said: “He [Brian] had proposed to her. They were waiting for her kids to get done with college."
Describing Brian and Erica's love for each other, Larry added: “It was obvious if you were around them."
Brian's mom Susie described the couple as a 'perfect pair', saying: “[Erica] said how much she loved Brian, what a great guy and what a perfect pair they were."
Larry went on to thank the community for their support, saying: "We’ve been overwhelmed by offers of help and everything else. We thought we were going through this alone and it hasn’t been."
Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek told WPTV that one of the children had tried to yell out to the couple to swim parallel to the shore.
This is because rip currents can be narrow, so by swimming parallel to the shore you may be able to get out of the current.
In a press release the sheriff's office said that they assisted the six children until family members arrived.
The statement said: "Martin County Ocean Rescue located the victims and began CPR on shore. Those life-saving efforts continued in the ambulance and at the hospital where doctors gave it every last effort before declaring the couple deceased.
"A Martin County Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team Deputy assisted the couple’s children throughout the day and evening as they await the arrival of other family members into Florida."
The children, most of whom are teenagers, are now understood to be staying with relatives.