A YOUNG Bolton diving instructor has died after an accident in a flooded quarry in North Wales.

David Hayes, treasurer of Horwich Sub-aqua Club, was diving in a deep slate quarry near Penygroes, Snowdonia.

It is the third tragedy to hit the Horwich club in four years.

Mr Hayes, aged 29, is thought to have died because of problems with his breathing equipment.

His friend and club colleague Ken Hughes, from Wigan, brought him to the surface. An angler who was fishing at the quarry helped get him to dry land.

An RAF helicopter airlifted Mr Hayes, a single man who lived with his parents in Greenmount Lane, Heaton, to Bangor hospital where he died a short time later.

Police said that the 300 feet deep Dorothea quarry is a popular spot with divers but has been the scene of several diving accidents and fatalities.

Today David's devastated family thanked Mr Hughes for trying to save him. A statement said: "David's family would like to express their gratitude to Ken Hughes, his diving buddy, for his heroic efforts in trying to rescue David, also putting his own life at risk.

"David was a caring, sensitive and generous young man.

"His death leaves a huge gap in his family's life and they would like to thank everyone, friends and family, who have offered concern, help and condolences."

Mr Hayes, who worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Manchester, is the third member of Horwich Sub-Aqua Club to lose his life in four years.

In November 1993 Horwich father-of-three Damon Payne died while he was diving to a sunken wreck off Anglesey. Two months later 66-year-old George Ferdinand, from Heaton died from health problems during a training dive in a quarry at Carnforth near Lancaster.

Mr Hayes joined the Horwich club three years ago but became a qualified dive leader, teaching other people how to dive.

Club spokesman John Pickton said everybody was stunned.

"He was very keen on diving like a lot of people. He will be very much missed," said Mr Pickton, the club's diving officer.

Despite the tragedies in the 60 member club, Mr Pickton defended the safety of sport.

"We have got all sorts of safety procedures and the club had a very good record until recently," he said.

He said the club has been in existence for 27 years and until 1993 there had been no serious accidents or fatalities.

Mr Hayes was not on a club organised dive when the tragedy happened but had dived there before.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.