Regular swimmer died after cooling off in sea in Cornwall on hot summer's day

A regular swimmer with a passion for the sea died after cooling off in the water on a hot summer's day.

An inquest has heard that Julie Beach, 59, a retired headteacher, was a fit and healthy woman who ran regularly and swam in the same spot several times a week.

In August 2022 she was heard calling for help from the water around 50 metres from Porthcurnick beach at Portscatho on the Roseland peninsula, Cornwall.

Witness Christine Boon was walking along the coastal path at the time and ran down to the steps and swam out to Mrs Beech.

Another man on the scene at the time also swam out and helped pull her back to the land.

Off-duty health workers gave Mrs Beech CPR until emergency crews arrived, however she died at the scene.

The inquest at Cornwall coroner's court heard that she may have suffered a heart attack while swimming in the sea.

Julie's husband Simon said his wife was a good swimmer who had gone in to 'cool off' and there were no major currents there.

He added that his wife went to the same location each time for a 30 minute swim with an orange buoy attached to her waist.

A post mortem examination revealed she died from drowning.

The assistant coroner Guy Davies recorded a narrative conclusion saying Julie died from drowning while swimming following a coronary event.

He praised the 'valiant efforts' of those who swam to her aid and the 'gallant efforts' of off duty healthcare workers who tried to revive her on the beach.