British man drowns on holiday swimming in Tenerife one day before 30th birthday
Tributes have been paid to a British holidaymaker who drowned one day before his birthday while swimming in the Canary Islands.
Nicholas Desmond, 29, had been in Tenerife for only a few hours when he got into trouble in the sea.
Emergency services rushed to the scene in Callao Salvaje before flying him to Adeje on 29 July but Mr Desmond, known as Nicky, died just one day before he was able to celebrate his 30th birthday.
His devastated friends say Mr Desmond had travelled from his home in Gabalfa, Cardiff, for the trip.
Family friend Sacha Pugsley, 29, said: "He was very bubbly, very outgoing. He always had a helping hand for everybody.
"He would literally walk the world for me if he could. He was always happy, always bubbly. I don't think I'd ever seen a time where he was upset.
"He'd never bring anybody down."
Paying tribute to Mr Desmond, friends and family added: ”He was such a beautiful soul, a brother, a son loved by all that met him, has left us too soon.
"Our beloved friends and the Gabalfa community have suffered a significant loss with the recent passing of their precious friend Nicky.”
A fundraising page has now been set up to help fly Mr Desmond’s body back home for his funeral.
A post on the page said: "The expenses to bring him home are extremely high let’s bring him back.
“The unexpected death of a child is an unimaginable loss that no one could prepare for. Every parent's greatest fear is the loss of their child.”
A balloon release was held in Mr Desmond’s memory on the day of his 30th birthday.
