A British man has died after jumping from a boat during a turtle-spotting excursion on the Greek island of Zante, also known as Zakynthos. Cameron William Wallace, 34, of Exeter, was on his second day of holiday with a friend on Tuesday afternoon when the incident occurred.
Mr. Wallace and his friend, Steve Pittman, had rented a boat and were near the island of Marathonisi, off the southern coast of Zakynthos, when Mr. Wallace jumped into the sea around 3 p.m. Port authority officers and beachgoers assisted in bringing Mr. Wallace ashore, where emergency services performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid. He was then transported by patrol boat to the port of Agios Sostis and subsequently to the General Hospital of Zakynthos, where he was pronounced dead.
The Zakynthos Port Authority has launched a preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Wallace's death, and a post-mortem examination is scheduled.
Friends and family have paid tribute to Mr. Wallace, who recently celebrated his engagement to Silvana Bernardes. Ms. Bernardes described his death as a "huge shock" and believes it was an accident, speculating it could have been a heart attack or drowning. She mentioned that Mr. Wallace had recently lost his job after running his electrical engineering business for a decade and had been excited about the holiday.
A friend shared memories of Mr. Wallace, describing him as a "well-loved friend" who always made an effort to stay in touch. Tributes noted his commitment to maintaining friendships despite distance and busy schedules.
Ms. Bernardes has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of bringing Mr. Wallace home for burial.