Man Drowns Proposing To Girlfriend Underwater

New England Journal of Medicine

A man from Louisiana has drowned while attempting an underwater proposal to his girlfriend.

Steven Weber Jr. proposed to his girlfriend Kenesha Antoine during a dream vacation in Tanzania. Tragically, he never emerged from the water and did not get to hear Kenesha’s joyful answer.

At the time of writing, it has not been reported why Steven failed to surface following his romantic gesture.

New England Journal of Medicine

On September 20, Baton Rouge attorney, Kenesha shared footage and images of the proposal via Facebook; where Steven can be seen holding out a ring and carrying the following handwritten note in a ziplocked bag:

I can’t hold my breath long enough to tell you everything I love about you, but everything I love about you I love more every day.

The other side of the note read:

Will you marry me?

In the same heartbreaking Facebook post, Kenesha paid tribute to the ‘kind, compassionate’ man who made her ‘cry with laughter’:

There are no words adequate enough to honor the beautiful soul that is Steven Weber, Jr. You were a bright light to everyone you encountered. You never met a stranger, and you brought so much joy to so many people. You were kind, compassionate, you regularly made me cry with laughter, and you showered me with a love like none I’d ever experienced.

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.

Kenesha continued:

I know that wherever in the universe Steven’s spirit now resides, that is exactly what he’s doing: giving love and spreading joy and laughter.

And knowing him, always quick with an off-color joke, he’s probably entertaining someone with a story about how he royally screwed up that proposal and died while being extra.

As reported by The Advocate, a US State Department official has confirmed the department ‘is aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in Tanzania’:

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Steven Weber Jr. at this difficult time.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.

Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.