A British pensioner has died by drowning after he vanished while swimming in the Philippines.

Derek Arthur Silverthorne, 79, was found unconscious in the water by a passing ferry near the Bisucay island in Cuyo, Palawan.

But local coastguard officers were unable to revive him with CPR, and pronounced him dead on the scene. 

Mr Silverthorne’s death has saddened Cuyo locals, with his fellow divers among those delivering emotional tributes. 

Jimmy, Bill’s best friend from the Cuyo Watersports Association, described him as the “happiest person”. 

He said: “We still can’t believe what happened to him. Bill was the happiest person I knew. He loved the sea and loved diving.

“I cannot give any more details about how he died.”

Daziella Young, another friend and a local businesswoman, said he was the first tenant to join her pension house when he arrived in the Philippines in 2008. 

She said he was “part of the family”, adding: “We love you so much Bill, that it breaks my heart to know you left us so suddenly.”

Ms Young said she will hold Mr Silverthorne’s wake at her home in Villa Gange, Catadman, Cuyo, Palawan, at his request. 

She added that the pensioner wanted to be buried in Cuyo Island, his “second home”, and that she has contacted his next of kin and the Philippine UK embassy. 

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