Matthew Harvey, 35, claimed he entered the sea at Fermain Bay on Guernsey for a solo dive at about 9am on Saturday. A major search operation costing about£10,000 was mounted involving a fleet of vessels, aircraft and several hundred people including teams from the RNLI and coastguards as well as friends and family.
Mr Harvey was found floating unconscious in the water, on Monday, having supposedly survived 58 hours adrift. It appears that he had not gone diving but instead took a ferry to the UK for a weekend away.
The Guernsey authorities believe he returned to the island on Monday, and went back to the spot where he claimed to have been diving and waited for rescue.
The hoaxer was exposed when a member of the public in England recognised Mr Harvey from the media coverage and contacted Guernsey Police.
Guernsey harbour master Peter Gill said Mr Harvey, a museum worker, needed 'psychiatric help'.
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