It was Friday 6 October when 22-year-old Toetu Aoena from Poutasi Village was lost at sea after the small boat he was in with six other men capsized and he couldn't be found. 

The young man was due to leave for seasonal work three weeks later. The trip abroad would have been his first and an opportunity he had waited for to change his family and his future. 

His adopted father, Tumanuvao Pualele Fui stared into the distance on Saturday before gathering his breath to describe the son that he had lost to the ocean.

“He was a good son. He would do anything we told him and he was hard working. He would have been going for seasonal work in Australia. I was so happy that he had been selected,” Mr. Fui said. “It was a very sad White Sunday for us after the Police had called off the search. 

"There was a special service just for him. The whole village joined in to pray for his safe return. Right now, we are waiting for the Police to complete their investigation and give us the final report.”

The father was also gutted by the fact that the family never got the chance to accord him a proper burial. Mr. Fiu adopted Toetu, who was his sister's son when he was about 4 years old, and has been part of the family since then until the tragedy. 

According to the distraught father, Toetu had not informed the family that he was going to get palolo with the other men. He said they were only informed the next day when the men returned after being stranded on a nearby island.

Police Commissioner, Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo told the Samoa Observer last Monday that the unfortunate incident was reported to the police on Saturday and the search for the missing body started on the same day.

"According to the information given to us was that the missing 22-year-old from Falealili went out to sea with other men from his village," said Auapa'au. "They probably went to the sea hoping they would catch some palolo. 

"However, the strong currents struck their canoe and the other men swam to the nearest island, Nuusafee. But those who managed to escape the strong current and waves realised when they got to Nuusafee that one of the boys didn't make it back with them.

"So when they made it back to the shore, they reported the unfortunate incident and began looking for the missing young man."

The search was called off by the Police on Monday 9 October 2023.