Experienced Glen Pearson lost his diving buddy then lost sight of his boat while
wreck-diving two miles off Hartlepool's Headland.

His worried diving pals from Hartlepool Diving Club phoned the coastguard after the dad-of-three disappeared in the water.

Four RNLI lifeboats from Hartlepool and Redcar, a rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer and two passing boats were quickly called into action as the sun began to set at 9pm last night.

Minutes before darkness fell, a Hartlepool lifeboat crew spotted the 37-year-old, of the town's Beachfield Drive, and pulled him to safety – 35 minutes after going missing.

Glen, an electrician who has been diving for 14 years, said: "I can't thank the lifeboat crew enough. They saved my life.

"I lost my buddy almost straight away and got disorientated so I resurfaced. I saw the boat and began waving, but they didn't see me.

"I went back down, as we're told to do, but when I came back up the boat had gone. I couldn't see anything.

"I can't describe how I felt, I didn't panic but it's not the best position to be in. It was just a great sight to see the lifeboat coming towards me."

The crew found Glen, who has vowed to continue diving despite his ordeal, after he released a self-inflating emergency buoy and used a strobe light to try and get attention.

The Mail reported on Monday how a diver died off the Hartlepool coast at around 3pm on Saturday with the Hartlepool RNLI bringing the man ashore.

Mike Craddy, operations manager for Hartlepool RNLI, said: "Finding this man safe and well after what happened at the weekend is a real positive.

"Saving lives is why we volunteer, so this has given all the lads a big boost. We were all very down over the weekend.

"It was worrying that it was getting dark while we were searching and you do fear the worst but we found him just in time. It's a great result."

Glen was checked over by the lifeboat's doctor at the Hartlepool RNLI's Ferry Road base, and was given a clean bill of health to go home.

Paul Chapman, a diving liaison officer for HM Coastguard, said: "This is something that can happen when diving at sea.

"British waters are not the Mediterranean, and the visibility is not that good.

"You can become detached from your buddy, and if you surface away from your boat it can be a frightening experience.

"In that position it is easy to get confused but this diver has kept his head and done everything correctly.

"That is why he was found so quickly."