The father-of-two who is an experienced snorkeller reportedly drowned in his own bodily fluids while on holiday in Egypt.
What Happened?
Les Finch, died on February 27 after he was found unconscious in the water in a renowned coral hotspot known as Three Pools.
Cause of Death
Court heard how the 72-year-old 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, Finch’s wife Martha described the moment she ‘panicked’ when she couldn’t find her husband.
‘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.
‘I Can’t See Les’
‘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”.’
Finch was later 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.
He Had the Sign a Day Before
Meanwhile, inquest heard that Finch cut short a swim after he experienced a bout of coughing the day before his death – he thought it was a cold.
Now pathologist explains that 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.
