A police officer died on a diving trip in the Channel.

The serving Metropolitan Police officer fought for life for more than 24 hours after being airlifted from a boat by a coastguard helicopter on Saturday.

The man, who has not been named, survived the night in intensive care at Worthing Hospital but died yesterday (Sun) lunchtime.

He is known to have got into difficulties while in the water with another diver but the exact cause of his death has not been confirmed.

A post-mortem is expected to provide more details about what happened.

The Met Police’s Sub Aqua Club was running one of its regular trips off the Sussex coast when the alarm was raised at about 11.40am.

They called for help from the club’s boat, several miles south of Worthing, as they fought to revive the officer.

A Solent Coastguard helicopter flew to the boat and picked up both the man and the other diver, who was also unwell.

It landed a few minutes later in Homefield Park, near Worthing Hospital.

A Met Police spokesman said: “We are saddened by the death of an MPS colleague.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Sussex Police have kept all of the diving equipment involved in the incident while they carry out an investigation.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Two divers were brought ashore from a boat a distance of up to 14 miles from Worthing.

“One was in a satisfactory condition, the other was seriously ill.

“We met the boat at Littlehampton and retained all the diving gear for any further investigations.”

The other man was discharged from Worthing Hospital yesterday.

The Met Police’s Sub Aqua Club uses its boat, Proteus, for trips off the Sussex coast every week between April and November.

The 10m Blyth catamaran is moored at Littlehampton.

The police diving club was founded more than 30 years ago and is a member of the British Sub Aqua Club.

By last year it had grown to 80 members, including both serving and retired officers and their immediate families.

Recreational divers rely on safety training and judgement to avoid the health risks posed by pressure changes as they move between different depths.

In June 2005 experienced diver Alan Harriman, 55, died from the bends in the Channel while on a diving trip from a boat moored at Brighton Marina.

He was believed to have made the final four metres of a 50m ascent while holding his breath and without stopping.

The pressure tore his lungs and filled his brain, heart and blood vessels with gas bubbles.

A coroner described his death as a “tragic accident”.

--