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British mayor, 61, suddenly dies while diving with sharks on the South Coast

British mayor, 61, suddenly dies while diving with sharks on the South Coast

Date: 2019-01-18

Nigel Gawthorpe, 61, suffered a cardiac arrest as he climbed back on board his dive charter boat, after a scuba trip at the Aliwal Shoal reef south of Durban.

Kevin Fourie of South Africa's National Sea Rescue Institute said: "Ambulance services , lifeguards and police search and rescue responded and despite extensive CPR efforts by paramedics the man was sadly declared deceased."

Gawthorpe was able to complete his dive,but encountered problems when he returned to the boat. His wife Jenny was alongside him, but could only watch as paramedics spent up to 40 minutes trying to revive the public official.

Mayor Zandile Gumede of the City of Durban sends her deepest condolences to the City of Cambridge in the UK, after the sad passing of Mayor Nigel Gawthrope on Friday, 11 January 2019 while scuba diving Durban.

The mayor of Cambridge in the UK has died after going into cardiac arrest following a scuba dive in Umkomaas, south of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal. Gawthrope was known as an experienced diver and underwater photographer and was holidaying in KwaZulu-Natal at the time of the incident.

"We are saddened by the news of the passing of Mayor Gawthrope who was on holiday in Durban with his family. We pass our condolences to his family, Council of Cambridge and people of the City. We wish them strength and comfort as they go through this difficult period. We will keep them in our prayers," said Mayor Gumede.

Nigel was a massive scuba diving enthusiast and frequently rode his motorcycle, too. He was a lifelong Leeds United fan and had been an active trade unionist for almost all of his working life, starting when he worked at the local print works. The British mayor will be sorely missed by all those who knew him