Brit feared drowned after diving lesson on holiday in Sharm-el Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh, stock image. Rex

A British tourist is feared to have drowned after he failed to surface during a scuba diving lesson on holiday in Egypt.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Steve Cracknell, a pharmaceuticals executive and experienced diver, was with his instructor off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh when the pair went missing and a frantic rescue mission failed to find them.

Mr Cracknell, 46, from Yeovil in Somerset, is believed to have been on holiday with his wife and their two daughters when he went swimming in the White Knight dive site last Saturday.

Locals have reportedly been searching every day for the pair who was diving with a company located at the Savoy Hotel.

A friend of Mr Cracknell, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Telegraph: 'I am just holding out hope and don't want to think about the accident.

'I can't imagine how his wife and daughters are handling this. My heart goes out to them.'

'We are hoping for a good resolution, but we know that the longer they are missing the less likely it is that the result will be good.'

Although the dive site is relatively shallow for divers, the plateau which Mr Cracknell was exploring suddenly sheers off into a plummeting mile-deep precipice.

Mr Cracknell's instructor was Costantino Di Maria, a veteran diver who had lived in Sharm el-Sheikh for years.

A Foreign Office spokesman told the BBC: 'The initial search has now been called off. We are liaising with the local authorities and we are providing consular assistance to the family.'

It is understood that Mrs Cracknell and the couple's two daughters have returned to the UK.

Related articles

Diver survives 40 minutes in the North Sea after air supply cuts off
Diver killed by great white shark in Australian tourist spot
Diver swims 20 miles in shark-infested waters after being left by boat in Borneo

Sign up to our weekly newsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a fan on Facebook