Surgeon drowned off Cornwall was trying to save his sons, inquest hears

A respected knee surgeon drowned as he desperately tried to rescue his sons during a surfing incident in Cornwall, an inquest heard.

Stuart Calder, 52, was caught in a powerful rip current and dragged out to sea as he attempted to save his sons Hugo and Milo who were trying to help two teenage brothers in difficulty.

Mr Calder, who worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, drowned alongside Rachel Dunn, 42, and her partner Kevin Reynolds, 44, last October at Mawgan Porth beach in Newquay, Cornwall.

Cornwall Coroner's Court heard that members of the public who were on the beach - many on holiday as it was the school half-term - risked their lives to go into the water to help those in trouble.

Mr Calder and Ms Dunn were rescued by people on the beach while Mr Reynolds was pulled from the sea by a helicopter crew.

All three were unconscious and were airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske but later pronounced dead.

In a written statement, Mr Calder's son Hugo described what happened after trying to rescue two teenagers in trouble.

Cornwall Coroner's Court was told by experienced surfers that the sea current was too strong that day and the water should have been closed off.

Lifeguards only patrol the area from March to September, and were not on duty when the incident took place.

Holidaymaker Brendan Prince, an experienced lifeguard and surfer, told the hearing that had a lifeguard service been on duty that day, they would have stopped people entering the water.

"I personally feel on that day the beach would have been red flagged," he said.

Dr Emma Carlyon, the senior coroner for Cornwall, concluded that the deaths of all three had been accidental.