R.I.Ibiza10/08/23 16:44
TW0

The 32 year old British man who died last Friday drowned in Cala Jondal died while practicing apnea and trying to 'catch a handful of sand from the bottom", according to Andrew Gibson, friend of the victim to the British digital Independent.

Gibson, according to him, tried to rescue Martin Smith after spotting him floating in the water with the snorkel «submerged under the surface», but it was too late. The victim, also known as 'Percy' or 'Storm', was a «apnea enthusiast» and was seen coming in and out of the water many times throughout the day before anyone noticed that he was no longer moving and sounded the alarm.

Friends of the deceased young man have opened a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral of an incredible character". They’ve already raised over £10,000, they say.

«He was a good friend of mine. I was on the boat that day before the doctors arrived. It was intense and very hard», said the victim’s friend.

Martin was a keen traveler, spending the winters teaching English and working for charities in Vietnam before returning to Ibiza for the summer season, where he lived in Platja d'en Bossa.

Andrew Gibson explains that they had rented a boat with family and friends in the port of Ibiza for what promised to be a fun day, and as the weather was «not very good» they headed to the quieter waters of Cala Jondal. «We decided to anchor there to spend the day and have lunch», explains Andrew.

«Martin was a great diver. He had been practicing it in Thailand and Vietnam for years, all over the world. He liked it a lot».

«We saw that the snorkel submerged sometimes, but without him expelling the water, so something was very wrong», said Andrew. «Three of the boys of the boat submerged; it was probably about 30 meters». When they put him on the back deck, Martin was no longer breathing and his pulse was not taken. Andrew and one of the crew members immediately began CPR while waiting for the medical staff to arrive.