The scuba diving holidaymaker was forced to make an emergency ascent following complications on the Spanish holiday island.
FRIENDS and family of the Brit who died while scuba diving off Lanzarote, named locally as John Walker, paid tribute to him today
Paramedics were mobilised after receiving a call about a 54-year-old man who was suffering breathing difficulties following an emergency ascent.
He was in cardiac arrest when they reached the Marina Rubicon yacht harbour in Playa Blanca in the south of the island, five minutes from the spot where he dived.
Efforts to revive the diver, who had 30 years experience, failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene following the drama around 10.30am on Saturday.
An investigation led by the local Civil Guard and coordinated by an investigating magistrate is now underway.
His sister Jacqueline Jobarteh, who has flown to the holiday island with their mum, said the family was “devastated by the loss”.
Mr Walker, 54, an ex-paratrooper from County Durham, was enjoying a break with his girlfriend Brenda.
He had worked all over the world as a security consultant in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sierra Leone and had also spent some time on a croupier on cruise ships.
His sister wrote on Facebook after learning of the tragedy on Saturday: “Just had the most horrible news.
"My brother Johnny Walker passed away today on holiday in Lanzarote when he was scuba diving.
“I’m flying over tomorrow with my mum. Our family is devastated by the loss.
“Rest in peace Johnny. You will never be forgotten. I’m gonna miss you so much, my heart is breaking.”
Friend Malcolm Rutherford replied: “A real shame. He was always someone you could honestly say ‘was full of life.’ RIP mate.”
Yvonne McBeath added: “So sad to wake up to this news. RIP Johnny.”
In a second post shortly before flying to Lanzarote, Jacqueline, who lives in Richmond, north Yorks, said: “Thank you to everyone for the kind thoughts and messages.
“My heart goes out to Brenda, his girlfriend who’s over there on her own, feeling the pain. It’s been a tough day making arrangements with insurance etc and my head feels battered.
“We’ve cried, laughed, reminisced about Johnny all day. I just want to get over there and see my brother. The pain is so much.”
The dead man was only minutes into his dive - and a few feet underwater - when he indicated to an instructor working for the dive school he went out with that that he felt unwell.
A well-placed source said: “He was vomiting when he was being ferried to dry land but seemed okay apart from that. He died when he reached the yacht marina.
“Everything is pointed to the tragedy being the result of a health problem. There’s nothing to indicate any wrongdoing on the part of the dive school he went out with.”
A spokesman for a local emergency services coordination centre confirmed: “We were alerted following a call from a boat informing us about a diver who was suffering breathing problems following an emergency ascent and was five minutes from Marina Rubicon yacht harbour.
“An emergency response was activated and and a doctor gave the people with the diver instructions on the first aid they should perform while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
“He was in cardiac arrest when help arrived and paramedics practised cardiopulmonary resuscitation to try to revive him without success. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The spokesman confirmed he was a 54-year-old British man but did not name him.
Lanzarote is a popular dive destination and Playa Blanca is home to the Museo Atlantico, the first underwater museum in Europe, consisting of over 300 life-size sculptures.
It was created by British artist Jason de Carnes Taylor and was officially opened to the public at the start of the year. It can be explored by scuba divers or from glass-bottomed boats.
