A Briton has drowned in a freak scuba diving accident while saving the life of his girlfriend.

Ex-pat Stephen McNulty, 56, and 45-year-old Vicky Spokes were blown into the ocean by a giant wave as they were looking at underwater coral and marine life in Tasmania.

As the water ‘turned into a giant washing machine,’ Mr McNulty managed to usher Vicky ashore but he disappeared under the water and is believed to have hit his head against a rock.

Tragedy: Stephen McNulty with his girlfriend Vicky Spokes who got into difficulties after they were hit by a giant wave while diving off Tasmania

The father of five, from Burnley, Lancashire, was later pulled out of the sea unconscious but despite attempts by two passersby, police and paramedics to revive him, he died at the scene.

Today Vicky was being comforted by family and friends as tributes were paid to Mr McNulty, who had started a new life in Australia in the Devonport area of Tasmania as a rigger.

She said: ‘Steve was a strong man, physically and mentally, and although I had panicked I would never have thought this would happen. It is a pure tragedy and we are all heartbroken.

‘Steve and I had found a new life here which was just idyllic. He was a character who enjoyed a drink and cigarette but he loved the outdoor life here.

‘We both enjoyed diving and kayaking. It hasn’t sunk in yet that he is gone.’ The tragedy happened on News Years Eve three years after the couple – who met at a pub in Burnley – had moved to the island. He had been an electrician for Norweb.

Happy-go-lucky: Ex-pat Stephen McNulty who moved to Australia three years ago and got a job as a rigger

The couple were on a family holiday in the East Coast of the island when they began the dive around lunchtime at Skeleton Bay near Binalong Bay.

They got into difficulties after being hit by an unexpectedly powerful wave and were propelled into deeper water.

The pair managed to steady themselves when Mr McNulty told Vicky not to panic and float on her back towards the shore. But when she reached nearby rocks she saw he was lying motionless on his back.

A post-mortem examination showed he had drowned following a head injury.

Family man: Stephen McNulty with daughters Laura, who lives in Tasmania, and Danielle

Vicky added: ‘Everything was perfect. The weather was glorious and we asked locals where the best place to dive was. Steve and I were the most experienced divers so we went out first to test the water while the others relaxed on the beach.

We’d been out for 15 minutes when we saw two large rocks close together. We went into the gap when a big wave washed us out into the ocean.

‘We were only about 30 metres out though and we surfaced. Steve told me not to panic. We had our wet suits and regulators on. He told me to float on my back towards the rocks but when I scrambled up he was laying motionless on the surface.’

Mr McNulty’s brother David said: ‘The breakers were coming in and the current was getting real bad. It must have been like a big washing machine.

Drowned: Stephen McNulty was an experienced diver who liked a drink and a smoke

‘Vicky said there were two metre swells and there were rocks all around and she was in a panic and my brother made sure her regulator was right, told her to blow her life buoyancy vest up, get on her back and float back into shore.’

‘He [Steve] would do anything for anybody and he was happy-go- lucky, he didn’t worry about anything and he just enjoyed life to the max, he lived every single day.’

One of eight children, Mr McNulty leaves his parents John and Lillian, children Anthony, Danielle, Liam and six grandchildren who all live in the Burnley area. Daughter Laura lives in Tasmania. Another son, Mark, died from cancer several years ago.

Police in New Zealand said they were investigating the incident and are seeking witnesses to the incident.

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