A TOURIST from Kent drowned off the coast of eastern Australia after he tried to save a friend who was struggling in a riptide, an inquest has heard.

Raymond Marshall, 43, of Chapter Road, Strood, was taking an afternoon swim with his wife and friend in the Gold Coast area of Queensland when the accident happened.

Mr Marshall, wife Deborah and friend Arthur Skellern - known to friends as Alan - had decided to swim outside the safe flagged area on Mermaid Beach.

Mrs Marshall said in a statement read at the inquest in Gillingham: “Alan was further out than myself and Raymond. I was holding Raymond’s hand as I was being bounced by the surf.”

She added: “Alan started screaming and Raymond went over to him. The screaming stopped. Raymond started screaming for help. Raymond shouted ‘swim’ and I never heard anything after that.”

Mr Marshall got to know Australian Mr Skellern through the Internet and he and his wife decided to visit him during three weeks in Australia.

The inquest was told the three left for the beach on April 27 and arrived at Mermaid Village at about 1.30pm. Mrs Marshall said in the statement she was a “comfortable swimmer” and her husband was a “reasonable swimmer”.

The riptide, which is a strong underwater current, forced the men under water at about 2.30pm.

A council dogcatcher called lifeguards after seeing the swimmers’ distress and ran into water to drag the unconscious bathers out.

Mr Marshall and Mr Skellern were pronounced dead on arrival at Gold Coast Hospital in Southport.

Mr Marshall, born in Derby, had been married more than 20 years. A post mortem carried out two days after his death found he died from drowning.

Verdict: accidental death.