David Briffaut, 23, was feared to be paralysed after hitting the water at the bottom of the slide at great speeds.

He was with his girlfriend Penny Bristol to celebrate her finishing her degree.

But he reportedly had an MRI scan on Monday afternoon and is starting to breathe on his own without medical equipment.

There are hopes the young Essex man could fly back to the UK by the end of this week.

But that depends on Spanish doctors agreeing to release him from hospital.

He is being treated at a hospital in Alicante.

David broke two bones in his spine after sliding head-first down the “Splash” ride on a board at the Aqualandia water park in the Benidorm resort on the Costa Blanca, popular with Brits.

His uncle Mark Pooley told the Sun Online: “David is getting stronger on a daily basis, his reliance on oxygen is down to 40% and that means he is gradually starting to breathe more on his own.”

He went on: “We are hoping as a family for good news but it is down to David and how strong he is, but it is the hospital’s decision they have to give permission to travel.”

“We are hoping as a family for good news but it is down to David and how strong he is”

Mark Pooley, uncle, David Briffaut

Yesterday, David’s family begged for answers after the accident.

His mum, Lorraine, told the BBC: “We want to know why and how it happened.”

Aqualandia has claimed previously that David failed to follow safety instructions and said it had video footage of this.

But Mark said the waterpark hasn’t yet contacted them.

“We have always just asked for an investigation,” he said.

“They seem to have attacked us by saying that we’ve claimed the rides are unsafe.”

Aqualandia, which was the largest waterpark in the world when it opened in 1984, is one of the most popular attractions in Benidorm.

The Splash ride, which David had his accident on, features six slides side by side.

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