WATFORD, UK (2 July 2008) — The wife of a scuba diver who tragically died during a diving trip in Dorset has paid tribute to a "loving husband and father". Nigel Foster, 46, from Valley Walk, Croxley Green, was diving at Grove Point, off the coast of Portland, when he was found unconscious in the water. Friends aboard their hired boat, named Tango, called the coastguard and Mr Foster was airlifted by helicopter to Dorset County Hospital, where he died. Dorset Police are investigating the sudden death but are not treating it as suspicious. Mr Foster was born in Barnet and grew up in Bedfordshire and Surrey. The software engineer, who worked in Luton, married his wife Anne in Northamptonshire in 1985 and together they had one son James, 13. Mr Foster was an only child and is survived by his parents who live in Surrey. Mrs Foster said their lives would never be the same again following the tragedy. She said: "Nigel lived for diving and he was extremely experienced. Diving was his passion and it is so tragic that his life ended doing something which he loved so much. "We are devastated and are still trying to come to terms with what has happened." The couple travelled the world together, visiting Mexico, Thailand and the Caribbean and they had enjoyed a family holiday with James in Florida at Easter earlier this year. During the summer Nigel would go diving several times a month on the south coast and was an active member of Watford Underwater Club. Anne added: "We always had good holidays and of course Nigel would do some diving when we were away, he loved the Red Sea and said Mexico was one of the best dives he ever did. We have so many happy memories of being together and we will always have those memories." | | Nigel Foster was an active member of BSAC's Watford Underwater Club, which organized and led the dive trip that killed him. Coastguards received a distress call from the dive boat Tango at around 3.30pm after Mr Foster made a rapid ascent to the surface following a drift dive. The coastguard immediately sent a rescue helicopter to the scene and transported Mr Foster to hospital. He was met by a resuscitation team but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The remaining divers in the 11-member party were recovered by two other dive boats in the area and returned to shore. Grove Point is a popular dive site with depths reaching between 12m and 30m. It has rocky ledges with a large amount of marine life, is recommended for drift dives and night dives, but is also known for strong tides and currents. |
