THE son of a man who drowned while swimming off the coast of India says he hopes his father didn't suffer.

David Horne said his dad Stanley, 69, had just sold his house in order to spend more time in Goa.

Stanley, a former sheet metal worker who came from Bexley, was found off Morjim Beach in North Goa on Sunday, April 6.

His friend, 37-year-old Liesel Clare Smith from Dover also drowned.

David, who lives with his wife Heather in Dover, said: "I’m shocked. I feel sad that he died in this manner. I just hope it was quick.

"He was a quiet and introverted chap. He liked reading, listening to the radio. Always helpful and very hard working. He worked hard all his life and he deserved his retirement.”

Stanley moved to Dover in the 1970s. He leaves two sons and a daughter.