British diver found dead in 280ft underwater cave after major search identified

A British diver who was tragically found dead in a narrow underwater cave has been identified with heartbreaking tributes paid to him.

The lifeless body of Andrew Rice, 43, was uncovered by specialist teams on Sunday (20 September) after he failed to resurface.

The experienced diver from Gloucestershire had entered the Saint-Sauveur in Calès at around 3.30pm two days before, on 18 September.

He had swam into the narrow network alongside two other divers who later returned safely to the group.

However Andrew was found at around 280ft in the Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur cave with French authorities opening an investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Andrew Rice shared pictures of his diving expeditions (Facebook)

The Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur is a well-known and regularly visited site for experienced cave divers with people travelling from around the world.

French authorities activated the underground-rescue provisions of their emergency response system, ORSEC (Organisation de la Réponse de Sécurité Civile), with firefighters and cave rescuers also called.

A spokesperson for rescuers said they hoped he had been able to take refuge in an air-filled chamber within the system, and that he had used an eight-hour supply of breathing gas.

His body was eventually found on Sunday at a depth of around 88 metres, almost 290 feet deep, according to a statement from Cahors public prosecutor Clara Ribeiro.

The 43-year-old had been sharing a series of videos and pictures to his Facebook page from his latest trip to France, filming shots of recent dives.

Gouffre de Saint-Sauveur (Google Maps)

In a video posted days ago about a different dive, he posted: "Continue to 900m where the cave suddenly drops... low water so 75m currently. Now at 1130m mark and she starts to shallow a little. Time to turn the dive until another day."

And in his latest post, shared on Friday, the morning before he vanished, he penned: “One more shakedown Dive to practice with the needle valve added some months ago. Now feeling confident with its operation. Ready for the Big one Today Dive #1000.”

Tributes have been paid on social media, with one person writing: "Thank heavens for all the brave rescuers as a very difficult and emotional thing to do. He looked like a lovely young man."

Another posted: "Absolute shocker, dived with him a few times in the past! RIP mate."