A devastated family has paid tribute to a father who died while on a diving trip.

Folkestone man Don Falvey got into difficulty while underwater off the coast of Dover.

Mr Falvey, 60, had been a keen diver and had said he wanted to take 'one last dive' following health scares.

Tragically, he reportedly lost consciousness as he rose to the surface and his fellow divers and crew were unable to revive him.

Paramedics and police were also called, but were unable to resuscitate the stricken diver.

His son Daniel said that the former guest house owner was a "massive family man" and would be sorely missed.

"Dad was your classic Irishman, he had that kind of non-PC, irreverent humour," he said.

"He was known for being direct and always had an inappropriate joke; sometimes that could rub people up the wrong way, but he made such an impact on everyone he met and it's been clear from the number of letters and messages we've got just how many friends he had."

The 60-year-old moved to England from his native Ireland in his early 20s, running a pub in London before moving to Folkestone in 1990.

He owned and ran Chandos Guest House in Cheriton Road for many years, and still operated a guest house out of his family home up until his death.

He also did a large amount of charity work, and was treasurer at the Rotary Club of Folkestone.

"He volunteered at a charity called wet wheels, where they take out disabled people for boating and seal watching," Daniel explained.

"His main passion was scuba diving, and he always wanted to do things out on the water, so that really fed into his charitable work.

"Outside of that, he was a massive family man. He had a classic big Irish family with a brother and three sisters all of whom were very close".

Ray Johnson, public relations manager for Rotary Club of Folkestone, said the news came as a shock to everyone who knew Mr Falvey.

"Don was extremely popular at the club, he was a member for 10 years and served as our treasurer," he explained.

"He did fantastic work and was a real pleasure to be around, he will be sorely missed."

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