A CORONER has issued a warning over the dangers of open water swimming following the tragic death of a young man in Ullswater.

Bryxzel Galeon, 21, of London, died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the lake with his younger brother, Aixzyl on August 1 last year. He had been on holiday in the Lake District with family and friends to celebrate his graduation from university.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard that on the day of Mr Galeon’s death, he had enjoyed a trip to Honister Mountain Adventure before rejoining the rest of the group at Howtown, Ullswater, for a barbecue on the shore of the lake. Shortly after eating, Mr Galeon and his younger brother followed others out into the water.

Coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw said it was not entirely clear who had got into difficulty first, but it appeared that Mr Galeon had tried to help his younger brother.

Yanek Kowal, an experienced lifeguard trainer who was at the lake with his wife, Sally, noticed the two men and commented that neither looked like strong swimmers.

Mr Kowal said he thought it looked like they were going under water so he jumped in and swam over to them. One of the men was already under water and the other one was partially submerged.

The coroner heard that Mr Kowal had managed to pull the younger brother and another friend from the group, Christine Carino, to a nearby pontoon. By the time he had swum back to the shore, emergency services were on the scene. Mr Galeon’s body was recovered from the bottom of the lake later that evening after an extensive search operation.

Dr Shaw gave a cause of death as drowning and concluded that Mr Galeon’s death was due to misadventure. In his concluding statement, Dr Shaw said: “It’s an awful day for the families involved. A happy day in a matter of moments turned into a tragic disaster. Bryxzel has got a full tummy. He has just had his dinner.

"With the benefit of hindsight it would have been better if he hadn’t gone into the water. It’s dangerous to go into water with a full tummy. This is fresh water. The body is less buoyant and swimming is harder. It’s extremely lucky Yanek went straight into the water to help, otherwise this might have been a double tragedy. Thankfully, Aixzyl was rescued. Swimming is dangerous. It’s not that people shouldn’t swim. They should make sure they are aware of the dangers of swimming after eating.”

Mr Galeon was born in the Philippines, and moved to the UK when he was seven. His father, Emetrio Galeon, said he was a “happy, content, loving” young man who was very close to his family.