Keen young sailor drowned after swimming on hottest day of the year

Haydn Griffiths' body was found five days after he was reported missing following an ill-fated attempt to swim to the wind turbines in Liverpool Bay. 

Mr Griffiths, from Lowton, near Wigan, was reported missing on Tuesday, July 19 this year after he went missing in the River Mersey off Wallasey beach.

Mr Griffiths won several awards for his sailing, including the 2016 Youth National and even took part in boxing, but wanted to be a sea farer so he could “explore the world” (Image: Newsquest)

An inquest hearing, held on Thursday, December 22, in Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool, was told Mr Griffiths, 24, had arrived at Bay View Drive in Wallasey at around 6.50pm after a woman he was on a first date with had driven them both there.

He had sent a text to a friend to say they were going swimming on what was one of the hottest days ever recorded in the UK. 

Mr Griffiths and the woman entered the water and decided to swim towards the wind turbines. However, after an hour of swimming they were still 500 yards away and decided to head back to shore because they were getting “cold”.

The court was told by coroner’s officer, Pam Robins, that Mr Griffiths, who was a marine engineer, and the woman he was with, swam against the tide in an attempt to get back to shore but it felt like they were “not moving”.

Haydn and his sister Brogan (Image: Newsquest)

At around 9.30pm, the woman said Mr Griffiths told her he was suffering from cramp and tiredness and “could not swim anymore”.

She encouraged him to keep swimming, but he was too fatigued. The woman then swam for another hour to get help from shore.

She managed to return to shore and got help from members of the public in the nearby car park with Mr Griffiths reported missing soon afterwards.

At 7.50pm on Saturday, July 24, Merseyside Police was contacted by the coastguard who believed they had found Mr Griffiths’ body near to the Marina in Crosby.

The RNLI crew who found Mr Griffiths transported him to Liverpool Cruise Terminal Landing where he was identified by PC Paul Bennett using photographs and personal items he was carrying including camouflage swimming shorts, a smartwatch, and a silver chain necklace.

Haydn Griffiths' body was found five days after he was reported missing (Image: Newsquest)

His body was then taken to Liverpool Royal Hospital mortuary.

Area Coroner, Ms Anita Bhardwaj described the circumstances as “absolutely tragic”, as she opened the inquest.

Ms Bhardwaj heard evidence from specialist pathologist, Dr Paulo Barbra, who carried out a post mortem on Haydn’s body who said this is one of the “saddest cases” he had worked on.

Dr Barba confirmed the external exam did not “reveal anything out of place” and that Mr Griffiths was “a healthy young man”.

He added that internally the post mortem found fluid in the 24-year-old's lungs but he concluded that there were no “overtly suspicious marks or injuries”.

He said: “My conclusion is that he died by drowning as he was tired and fatigued and wasn’t able to reach the shore.”

Haydn and his sister Brogan (Image: Newsquest)

Speaking to the family he added: “Death by drowning sounds horrific but it doesn’t mean he suffered. People can die in a matter of seconds when they inhale water and their lungs get wet. It sends the body haywire.

“I wouldn’t want you to leave here thinking he suffered or struggled. It was a case that he couldn’t do it anymore and was fatigued more likely.”

Dr Barba finished his evidence by giving his condolences to the family and described the case as “absolutely awful.”

Haydn and his sister Megan (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Griffiths won several awards for his sailing, including the 2016 Youth National and even took part in boxing, but wanted to be a seafarer so he could “explore the world”.

His family has promised to carry on raising awareness about the potential dangers of swimming in open water through their 'Stay Safe For Haydn' campaign, which raises money for the RNLI.

Speaking of Haydn in court, dad Bryn, mum, Diane and sisters Megan and Brogan described Haydn as a "kind and gifted boy who loved nature".

dad Bryn, mum, Diane and sisters Megan and Brogan with Haydn (Image: Newsquest)

They also added that he was “very determined” and had "his own way of doing things".

Handing down a conclusion of accidental death, Ms Bhardwaj, added: "This is something that needs to be highlighted to people, how dangerous the river is, because ultimately it does have a strong tidal wave and no matter how hot it is, it's still going to get cold. 

Haydn's family described him as a kind and gifted boy who loved nature (Image: Newsquest)

"Sometimes when we have hot weather, there's a false reassurance that we have that everything will be fine - and probably more so for somebody proficient in swimming."

"Clearly Haydn had a huge character, full of life, determination, and had a great future ahead of him. This can only be described as a tragic accident."