Retired Pilot Nicknamed ‘Peter Pan’ Found Floating ‘Face Down’ on Snorkeling Trip in the Caribbean

Retired RAF pilot John Jeffrey died after a medical emergency while snorkeling during a Caribbean cruise. The grandfather, 81, was described as fit and experienced with the sea by his wife and had no known health issues.

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Retired RAF pilot John Jeffrey died after a medical emergency while snorkeling during a Caribbean cruise

The grandfather, 81, was described as fit and experienced with the sea by his wife and had no known health issues

Post mortem examinations revealed Jeffrey likely had underlying health conditions that may have contributed to the unexpected tragedy

A retired pilot has died after experiencing a medical emergency while snorkeling.

On Feb. 1, 2025, John Jeffrey was on a P&O cruise in the Caribbean and took park in a snorkeling excursion at Shitten Bay off the island of Saint Kitts, per The Telegraph. Sometime while the 81-year-old retired Royal Air Force pilot was in the water, staff noticed he was “face down” and “not moving”

Jeffrey was then transported onto a rescue team’s boat, the outlet reported, where staff members administered CPR. “A large amount of liquid” exited his mouth, they reported, but ultimately Jeffrey didn’t regain consciousness. Around 1 p.m., he was declared dead.

“We were deeply saddened by the death of one of our guests,” a spokesperson for P&O Cruises said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

Jeffrey was “fit” for his age, according to his loved ones, but post mortem examinations determined he likely had underlying health conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which restricts one’s ability to breathe, and severe coronary artery disease, which drastically limits blood and oxygen flow to the heart.

Ultimately, Jeffrey’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to drowning, while the secondary cause was cited as submersion in sea water.

“It’s highly likely that the physical stress caused by swimming precipitated cardiac arrhythmia, which resulted in a loss of consciousness and drowning,” said Henry Charles, the assistant coroner for Hampshire, per The Telegraph. “We don’t know if there were any other factors – we just don’t know.”

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Jeffrey shared two sons with his wife, Jean, who called her husband her “Peter Pan” for his “strong and sporty” disposition well after his retirement, per the outlet.

Though he formally retired from the RAF at age 55, he still enjoyed flying recreationally and also took up sailing, she shared.

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At an inquest, Jean said he was in “good general health” and was quite familiar with the sea from his boating expeditions and his sea survival training in the military.

“I am baffled as to how he took on a catastrophic amount of sea water into his lungs. I find it very hard to believe that he was shocked by entering sea water,” she said. “He had a read of the sea. It was unforeseen and unforeseeable.”

Jeffrey had been traveling on P&O’s Iona cruise ship, which holds about 7,000 people, including passengers and crew, according to the cruise line’s site.

The cruise line offers several Caribbean trips out of Bridgetown, Barbados, and makes stops at popular destinations in the region. A typical two-week trip’s itinerary might include the British Virgin Islands, Saint Maarten, Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and St. Lucia, as well as Saint Kitts and Nevis.

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