'They have a small and cold heart': Parents of New York teen swept away in Hawaii slam tour guides for failing to help in search
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The parents of a New York teen missing in the waters off Hawaii has slammed tour company guides who led their son on a hike that ended with waves sweeping him out to sea.
Tyler Madoff, 15, of White Plains, was on a kayaking expedition on the west coast of the Big Island last week with a tour group.
They were hiking near the Captain Cook monument at Kealakekua Bay when they stopped to rest at a tide pool, and large waves washed Tyler and another 15-year-old boy away.
Missing: High school student and rowing enthusiast Tyler Madoff, 15, has been missing off the coast of Hawaii since July 4 after a series of rogue waves washed him out to sea
The other teen, from Miami, Florida, was eventually rescued and is recovering in a Honolulu hospital.
Tyler's parents accused Bold Earth Teen Adventures of showing 'poor judgment' and criticised staff members who failed to stay behind to search for their son.
'You have a small and cold heart,' Tyler's father, Michael Madoff, said. 'Shame on you.'
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ShareMr Madoff told the Associated Press on Monday he and his wife, Marianne, are back home in White Plains to be with their two other children.
'We just need to be with our family,' he said.
Angry: Tyler Madoff's parents, Michael and Marianne Madoff, pictured, has criticised tour guides for failing to help find their son
Tyler was with a group of 11 other teenagers, along with two contracted guides from Hawaii Pack & Paddle and two Bold Earth team leaders, according to Bold Earth founder Abbott Wallis.
Missing: Large waves washed Tyler Madoff, 15, pictured, out to sea last week
The Colorado-based company organises teen adventure tours on six continents.
But Mr Wallis disputed the claim that guides did not stay behind to help with the search.
'It's just a freak accident that occurred in a split second and everyone did what they could,' he said, adding that he understands the pain Tyler's parents are suffering.
He said the group beached its kayaks to visit a nearby waterfall on Wednesday afternoon.
They were sitting on rocks well above sea level and away from the edge.
'Our field personnel said the waves were totally unexpected,' Mr Wallis said. 'I can't convey my shock and sorrow.'
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search on Thursday but the Hawaii County Fire Department continued, with help from local residents.
On Sunday, Mr Madoff thanked those who searched for his son.
'Your kindness and compassion and tireless efforts will always be remembered. You are good people - the salt of the earth,' he said.
'All of the locals who kayaked and walked the shoreline searching for our son, we thank you.'
Fire Battalion Chief Reuben Chun said the search would end at sundown on Monday if there was still no sign of Tyler.
Scene: Tyler's tour group was resting near a trail around the Captain Cook monument, pictured, on the shore of Kealakekua Bay when the waves hit
'We're giving it our best. It's hit or miss,' Mr Chun said, explaining that Tyler could have gone very far very quickly after being swept away into the vast ocean.
'It's big and deep. We recover some and lose a lot. Surf conditions at that time were extraordinarily rough. It's just an unfortunate case.'
According to a witness Tyler's group, part of a teen summer programme called Bold Earth, were 30ft inside the trail around Kealakelua bay and the Captain Cook monument when the wave hit.
'We've probably run two or three cases this year alone of a similar nature,' Lt Leigh Cotterell of the U.S. Coast Guard told LoHud.com.
Strong waves: Another boy, 14, was swept out with Tyler but was recovered from the water by a rescue team
'People net fishing on the rocks, get swept out. People sightseeing. It’s not uncommon for people to get sucked out to sea here. The waters here are pretty rough. They aren’t what most people are used to. This is Hawaii,' he said.
The search for Tyler has included scuba divers, helicopters and boats within a 10-mile radius.
His father asked residents with personal boats also to assist their efforts.
In a statement Friday, Tyler's family requested privacy but expressed gratitude for people's support and prayers.
Entering his fall year at Scarsdale High School, Tyler is a member of his school's crew team and also with Pelham Community Rowing in New Rochelle.
Search efforts: The U.S. Coast Guard, one of their helicopters seen center, has been working within a 10 mile radius of the area in hopes of recovering the boy
'Just knowing how fit and strong he is, you can't help but think that, if anyone could survive being swept out to sea, it would be him,' the rowing programme's head coach Guy Monseair told LoHud.com.
His group of 150 rowers held a vigil for him last week at their boat house.
Expressing her grief, Tyler’s neighbour Carol Ashe told the Journal News that the boy ‘was the sweetest person in the whole world .. he always asked me how I am and what can I do for you?’
He also would shovel her driveway in the winter.
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