A FRENCH chef, who drowned at Old Head, Co Mayo last week while checking lobster pots, was far too heavily weighted for free diving, an inquest into his death was told yesterday.
Bertrand Brendao (29), had two large 5 kilo weights on a harness across his chest when his body was found by Coast Guard divers on Friday morning last.
He was also wearing a waist belt with seven to eight lead weights - a minimum of a kilo each - attached.
Mr Brendao, a native of Pierralaye, France, who had been working for some time as a chef at The Plaza Hotel, Westport, went missing on Thursday evening after going to Old Head with two Polish friends to lay lobster pots.
The divers from Westport Coast Guard, who found the body, told an inquest conducted by the coroner for south Mayo, John O'Dwyer yesterday that in their estimation the dead man had far too much weight on him for free diving.
One of the Coast Guard witnesses said that if he had been free diving like Mr Brendao without scuba equipment he would not have been using any more than 4-5 kilos of weight.
Dominik Kolodziej, a native of Poland with an address in Westport, told the inquest the deceased had been wearing a warm, high-buoyancy, diving suit and was a strong and experienced swimmer.
He said that when it became clear that his friend had got into difficulties he stripped completely and dived in but could see nothing and when he found breathing difficult he came out of the water.
Medical evidence, on behalf of Dr Fadel Bennani, consultant pathologist at Mayo General Hospital, was that the cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning.
Returning a verdict of accidental death Mr O'Dwyer expressed sympathy with the victim's father, mother and brother, who travelled from France to attend yesterday's hearing on their "awful loss".
Supt Pat Doyle, Westport, joined in the expressions of sympathy and thanked the members of the Coast Guard service as well as others who had participated in last week's rescue operation and subsequent search for the body.
After the inquest, his remains were released to his family for repatriation to his homeland.