By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 12:07 EST, 26 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:50 EST, 26 November 2013 . A Cambridge University student drowned while on holiday with his family after treating a warning not to swim through underwater cave tunnel as a 'challenge'. Marcus Hughes-Hallett, 20, ignored safety advice and decided to swim through the water-filled tunnel linking two sea caves on the Maltese coast. An inquest into the keen sportsman's death heard how he had managed to make his way through the chute, only to get into difficulty as he tried to return. Tragic: Cambridge University student Marcus Hughes-Hallett drowned while on holiday with his family after treating a warning not to swim through underwater cave tunnel as a 'challenge' Marcus, a maths student at Queens College, was on an adventure holiday with his parents David and Kristen, and younger brother, Christian. The family, from Bookham, near Leatherhead, Surrey, were enjoying a boat cruise when they decided to go swimming on Santa Maria Bay on the Maltese Island of Comino on August 23, last year.Mrs Hughes-Hallett told the inquest . how the boat’s skipper, Sebastian Custance, warned the family about . swimming through the cave tunnels as he moored up to let the tour group . explore the caverns alone. She said that Mr Custance told them not to attempt the underwater route. 'He said: "I’ve done it and I gave myself a scare",' she told the hearing in Woking. Mrs Hughes-Hallett, who described her son as 'very confident' in water, said the family had been told that when they were inside the darker of . the two caverns they would see a light shining through the water from . the next cave. Challenge: Marcus drowned while swimming in caves on the coast of the Maltese island of Comino. He and his family had been exploring the caves and were making their way back to their boat when he failed to emerge from an underwater tunnel . Instead of swimming between the caves, the family were able to make their way between them by climbing over rocks. They were preparing to head back to the boat when Marcus attempted the swim. 'I . heard David shout that Marcus had swum through (the tunnel) and he . shouted at me to go through to the dark cave and see him come up the . other side,' said Mrs Hughes-Hallett. 'It was about 10 metres underwater.' Mrs Hughes-Hallett said that prior to diving into the tunnel, Marcus told his father what he had planned. Student: Marcus, who was described by his mother as a 'confident swimmer' studied maths at Queen's College, Cambridge . 'He just said to his Dad "I’m thinking of going back underwater," and David said, "don’t do it",' she said. 'He said he had already done it the other way and it was really easy. 'He was a very confident swimmer and had done it one way.' However, this time Marcus failed to reappear on the other side of the tunnel, prompting panic among the other family members. 'I think I just froze a bit, I didn’t know what to do,' said Mrs Hughes Hallett. 'My youngest son ran back to the boat. 'I don’t know what happened. Going from the light cave to the dark cave was obviously very different to going the other way. 'What he felt was a quite straightforward swim in one direction wasn’t as straightforward going the other way.' Other tourists joined in the search and after around 20 minutes Marcus’ body was eventually discovered and pulled from the water. He was rushed to hospital but was declared dead shortly after arrival, and a post mortem examination concluded that Marcus had drowned. A Maltese diving expert said that any attempt to skin dive within the cave tunnels was a 'very dangerous activity'. Barry Nolan runs Activity Travel, the company that organised the family’s trip and conducted an investigation following Marcus’s death. 'We do not believe anything was wrong with the procedure that day,' he said. 'That was the inevitable conclusion we reached.' However, Mr Nolan said that holidaymakers were now expressly told they should not swim in the underwater tunnels. Assistant Surrey Coroner Michael Burgess recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: 'It is possible, despite the warning given in the briefing by Sebastian Custance, that Marcus took this to be a challenge rather than a serious warning against swimming through.' Speaking after the inquest Marcus’s parents said: 'He was living a life of adventure both at unviversity and in his travels and had plans for many more adventures. 'A decision to swim back through the caves has led him on a different path. 'Marcus was very much loved and is very much missed by his friends and family.'
Marcus Hughes-Hallett ignored warning not to swim in underwater tunnel .
Maths student, 20, failed to emerge from water after sea cave swim .
Marcus pulled from sea after 20 minute search but later pronounced dead .
By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 12:07 EST, 26 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:50 EST, 26 November 2013 . A Cambridge University student drowned while on holiday with his family after treating a warning not to swim through underwater cave tunnel as a 'challenge'. Marcus Hughes-Hallett, 20, ignored safety advice and decided to swim through the water-filled tunnel linking two sea caves on the Maltese coast. An inquest into the keen sportsman's death heard how he had managed to make his way through the chute, only to get into difficulty as he tried to return. Tragic: Cambridge University student Marcus Hughes-Hallett drowned while on holiday with his family after treating a warning not to swim through underwater cave tunnel as a 'challenge' Marcus, a maths student at Queens College, was on an adventure holiday with his parents David and Kristen, and younger brother, Christian. The family, from Bookham, near Leatherhead, Surrey, were enjoying a boat cruise when they decided to go swimming on Santa Maria Bay on the Maltese Island of Comino on August 23, last year.Mrs Hughes-Hallett told the inquest . how the boat’s skipper, Sebastian Custance, warned the family about . swimming through the cave tunnels as he moored up to let the tour group . explore the caverns alone. She said that Mr Custance told them not to attempt the underwater route. 'He said: "I’ve done it and I gave myself a scare",' she told the hearing in Woking. Mrs Hughes-Hallett, who described her son as 'very confident' in water, said the family had been told that when they were inside the darker of . the two caverns they would see a light shining through the water from . the next cave. Challenge: Marcus drowned while swimming in caves on the coast of the Maltese island of Comino. He and his family had been exploring the caves and were making their way back to their boat when he failed to emerge from an underwater tunnel . Instead of swimming between the caves, the family were able to make their way between them by climbing over rocks. They were preparing to head back to the boat when Marcus attempted the swim. 'I . heard David shout that Marcus had swum through (the tunnel) and he . shouted at me to go through to the dark cave and see him come up the . other side,' said Mrs Hughes-Hallett. 'It was about 10 metres underwater.' Mrs Hughes-Hallett said that prior to diving into the tunnel, Marcus told his father what he had planned. Student: Marcus, who was described by his mother as a 'confident swimmer' studied maths at Queen's College, Cambridge . 'He just said to his Dad "I’m thinking of going back underwater," and David said, "don’t do it",' she said. 'He said he had already done it the other way and it was really easy. 'He was a very confident swimmer and had done it one way.' However, this time Marcus failed to reappear on the other side of the tunnel, prompting panic among the other family members. 'I think I just froze a bit, I didn’t know what to do,' said Mrs Hughes Hallett. 'My youngest son ran back to the boat. 'I don’t know what happened. Going from the light cave to the dark cave was obviously very different to going the other way. 'What he felt was a quite straightforward swim in one direction wasn’t as straightforward going the other way.' Other tourists joined in the search and after around 20 minutes Marcus’ body was eventually discovered and pulled from the water. He was rushed to hospital but was declared dead shortly after arrival, and a post mortem examination concluded that Marcus had drowned. A Maltese diving expert said that any attempt to skin dive within the cave tunnels was a 'very dangerous activity'. Barry Nolan runs Activity Travel, the company that organised the family’s trip and conducted an investigation following Marcus’s death. 'We do not believe anything was wrong with the procedure that day,' he said. 'That was the inevitable conclusion we reached.' However, Mr Nolan said that holidaymakers were now expressly told they should not swim in the underwater tunnels. Assistant Surrey Coroner Michael Burgess recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: 'It is possible, despite the warning given in the briefing by Sebastian Custance, that Marcus took this to be a challenge rather than a serious warning against swimming through.' Speaking after the inquest Marcus’s parents said: 'He was living a life of adventure both at unviversity and in his travels and had plans for many more adventures. 'A decision to swim back through the caves has led him on a different path. 'Marcus was very much loved and is very much missed by his friends and family.'
treating a warning not to swim through underwater Hughes-Hallett, 20, ignored safety advice and failed to emerge from an underwater tunnel . and pulled from the water. He was rushed to hospital but was declared dead shortly after should not swim in the underwater tunnels.