Experienced Brit snorkeller, 72, died by drowning in his own bodily fluids while diving in renowned Egyptian coral spot, inquest told

An experienced snorkeller drowned in his own bodily fluids while on holiday in Egypt, an inquest heard yesterday.   

Father-of-two Les Finch, 72, died on February 27 after he was found unconcious in the water in a renowned coral hotspot known as Three Pools. 

The inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Finch from Ormskirk, Lancashire died from an unusual effect of swimming known as immersion pulmonary oedema. 

The condition occurs when the pressure of the water on a person’s body ends up in the chest and fluid leaks from the blood vessels into the lungs.

Speaking through tears, Mr Finch’s wife Martha described the moment she ‘panicked’ when she couldn’t find her husband.

The inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Finch from Ormskirk, Lancashire died from an unusual effect of swimming known as immersion pulmonary oedema (file pic)

‘We were swimming round and if you’re looking at fish you aren’t always aware of what’s going on around you or above the water,’ she said.

‘My friend was already out of the water and I said “I can’t see Les”. 

‘She said he had swam past her just before. There were quite a few people in the water and I just couldn’t see him. I really panicked. 

‘I just couldn’t see him. Then someone found him. It just looked like someone snorkelling. I went to run in but a man said “no, don’t run in”.’

Mr Finch, a retired engineer, was found face-down and not breathing in the water.

Divers tried to resuscitate him while they waited for an ambulance but he died at the scene. 

The inquest heard that the day before his death Mr Finch had cut short a swim after he experienced a bout of coughing – which he put down to a recent cold.  

Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers explained that Mr Finch would not have suffered and lost conscious ‘very rapidly’. 

‘He would have felt shortness of breath but that would be very rapid and he then would have lost consciousness,’ Dr Rodgers added.

The coughing fit Les had experienced while snorkelling the day before he died was likely ‘a sign of immersion pulmonary oedema’.

The condition is more prevalent in fit and healthy individuals with risk factors including swimming in cold water, over-hydration and exertion.

The inquest heard that the couple flew from Manchester Airport to Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt on February 22 of this year with a friend who had previously worked in the country. 

For the first three days of the trip the group stayed in Sharm-el-Sheikh before travelling to Dahab which is known for its clear waters and coral-filled coastline. 

Returning a narrative conclusion, the coroner said: ‘He was surrounded by lots of people and no one noticed him in distress and his mask and snorkel were still in place. He hadn’t had sufficient time to raise the alarm.’

Divers tried to resuscitate him while they waited for an ambulance but he died at the scene (file pic)

For the first three days of the trip the group stayed in Sharm-el-Sheikh before travelling to Dahab which is known for its clear waters and coral-filled coastline

The cause of death was recorded as immersion pulmonary oedema with high blood pressure and high cholesterol listed as contributory factors.

‘There was nothing you could have done to detect his heart disease or nothing you could have seen on holiday that suggested it was dangerous for him to get in the water,’ the coroner told Martha.

After the inquest Mr Finch’s wife Martha described him as a ‘doting granddad who was laid back and loved life’. 

‘He died doing something that he loved and it’s a comfort to know he wouldn’t have known anything about it,’ she added.