A DETECTIVE who "lived for diving" died while exploring a shipwreck on holiday in Scotland.

Father of two Albert Paxford, aged 40, of Quakerfields, Westhoughton, disappeared on the dive to a depth of 51 metres below the surface.

Mr Paxford, an officer with Swinton CID, had dived onto the wreck of a ship, called The Inn Cosy, off Burrowhead, near Stranraer, but failed to resurface.

His body was not found until nine months later.

Mr Paxford, known as Al to his friends, had dived onto the same wreck 35 times before without any problems.

But the inquest was told that at the time of his death he was diving to a depth one metre below the limit recommended by experts.

Mr Paxford -- a member of Horwich Sub Aqua Club -- described by fellow divers as a safety-conscious, fit and healthy man, is thought to have died after suffering from a diving condition comparable to being "anaesthetised by gas", Bolton Coroner Jennifer Leeming was told. The condition, called narcosis, stops straightforward thinking and can strike divers very quickly.

Mr Paxford's diving partner on the day he died, Ronald Higson, became alarmed for his friend's safety after he responded to torch signals in the murky depths, but then failed to follow him to the surface.

Dr James Francis, an expert in narcosis with 30 years experience in diving with the Royal Navy, said 51 metres was a deep dive and that most commercial diving clubs and the Health and Safety Executive set a limit on the depth of dives to 50 metres. But he said that one metre would not have made a difference.

Dr Francis said: "Narcosis happens very quickly and is like being anaesthetised by gas at the hospital. You become very fixated on an idea, even to the extent of not checking your computer for the time you have left, before it's too late."

Friend and diver Darren Kelly found Mr Paxman's body nine months later. He found him with a "goody bag" filled with china chamber pots. He was not trapped.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the Coroner said: "I'm quite sure that Al, in normal circumstances, would have come out as he had done many times before but, it seems, on this particular day he was affected by narcosis. His death is a tragedy."

Mr Paxford's wife, Elaine, said afterwards she was relieved his death had been explained and her family was now trying to pick up the pieces.

She said: "I feel a lot better after hearing what was said. We miss him very much. He was a loving family man, but lived for diving." Mr Paxford is also survived by children Gemma, aged 19, and Gareth, aged 17.

He joined Greater Manchester Police in 1990 after being made redundant from a mining job and started as a uniform officer before transferring to CID.