Brighton-based catamaran Seabreeze 3, from which he was diving, put out an emergency call and the French Coastguard sent a doctor, but attempts to revive him failed.

In the weekend's second incident, on Sunday 4, the dive-boat Providence was 20 miles off Bridlington when it called Humber Coastguard to report one of its divers missing.

The man, whose daughter was also on the dive boat, had been seen to surface, apparently in distress, but as the boat neared he submerged again. The warship Ledbury joined lifeboats and an RAF helicopter to search the area, but no trace of the diver was found.