FINAL MESSAGE REVEALED: A 34-year-old Brit died during a holiday in Zante after jumping from a boat while on a turtle trip, as his devastated fiancée revealed how a friend desperately tried to save him. But it’s the final message he sent before the tragedy that has left his loved ones struggling to understand what happened next…
**HOLIDAY TRAGEDY**
**Brit, 34, dies after jumping off boat on turtles trip in Zante as devastated fiancée reveals friend’s battle to save him**
The devastated fiancée of a British tourist who drowned during a holiday on the Greek island of Zante has spoken of the desperate efforts made by his close friend to save him after he jumped from a boat into the sea.
Cameron William Wallace, 34, from Exeter, was on a turtle-spotting trip with his long-time friend Steve Pittman when he entered the water near the small island of Marathonisi on Tuesday afternoon. Within minutes he was found floating face-down. Despite immediate CPR and a rapid transfer to hospital, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Zakynthos General Hospital.
His partner of 11 years, Silvana Bernardes, 34, told how the couple had only recently become engaged and had begun planning their wedding. “It’s all come as a huge shock. It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” she said. “Cameron only went on Monday. He was really excited to go.”
The pair had lived together throughout their relationship and had travelled the world for more than a decade. Silvana described the sudden loss as heartbreaking. “We had just got engaged and we were planning our wedding. It’s just heartbreaking. We lived together.”
Cameron had recently lost his job after running his own electrical engineering business for ten years. The short trip to Zante was intended to give him a break from those worries and a chance to enjoy time with his friend. “He just needed something to take his mind off all this and unfortunately it didn’t end as we wanted,” Silvana said. He had been due to return home this weekend.
**The afternoon the tragedy unfolded**
On Tuesday, Cameron and Steve were on a rented boat near Marathonisi, a popular spot for day-trippers hoping to see loggerhead turtles in the clear waters of Laganas Bay. At around 3pm Cameron decided to jump into the sea.
Minutes later a man on a nearby vessel spotted him lying face-down in the water and called out to Steve: “Is your friend OK?”
In shock, Steve raised the alarm. The pair, assisted by others, pulled Cameron from the water and began emergency CPR. A source close to the events said the former electrical engineer was initially breathing but stopped responding a few minutes later.
A Coast Guard patrol boat arrived and raced Cameron toward an ambulance that took him to Zakynthos General Hospital. He was pronounced dead soon after arrival. Forensic examinations are continuing to establish the precise cause of death. Silvana said: “It was a complete accident. We don’t know if it was a heart attack or too much water in his lungs.”
All of Cameron’s loved ones are waiting for further official information.
**The phone call that changed everything**
Silvana learned of the tragedy in a telephone call from Steve early on Wednesday morning. “When I first found out I just didn’t want to believe it,” she recalled. “His friend called early Wednesday morning and said, ‘I’m really sorry, I don’t know how to say this but something really bad has happened, Cameron’s died.’ It was really horrible.”
Steve has been left feeling profound guilt, but Silvana has repeatedly reassured him that he is not to blame. “There’s nothing he could have done. Everyone tried their best to help him but it’s just one of those situations,” she said.
**A life together cut short**
Cameron and Silvana had built a life rooted in shared experiences and mutual support. Their 11-year relationship had taken them across the world. Friends and family describe a couple who were looking forward to the next chapter as husband and wife. The engagement had been recent; wedding plans were already under discussion when Cameron left for Greece.
The loss has left a deep void. Silvana continues to process the suddenness of the news. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” she repeated. The practical arrangements that follow any death abroad — repatriation, contact with local authorities, the wait for forensic results — are now being handled with the support of the Foreign Office.
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”
**The wider setting of the tragedy**
Marathonisi, sometimes called Turtle Island, sits in the protected waters of Laganas Bay on the south coast of Zakynthos. The area is renowned for its loggerhead turtle nesting sites and attracts thousands of visitors each summer who take boat trips hoping to observe the animals in their natural habitat. The waters are generally calm, the scenery striking, and the trips popular with holidaymakers seeking a quieter alternative to the busier resorts.
Yet the same stretch of sea has seen previous incidents. Greek port authorities routinely respond to swimmers in difficulty, particularly in the height of the tourist season when currents, heat, and the sudden decision to enter the water can combine with tragic results. In this case the Zakynthos Port Authority was notified on Tuesday afternoon of a 34-year-old British citizen in difficulty near Marathonisi. With the help of people on the beach and other vessels, he was brought ashore, given CPR, and transferred by patrol boat to the port of Agios Sostis before being taken to hospital.
An investigation into the circumstances remains open. No suggestion of foul play has been made. The official cause of death awaits the completion of forensic work.
**The human cost of a sudden holiday death**
Deaths of British nationals abroad often leave families navigating unfamiliar systems while dealing with profound grief. In Cameron’s case the sequence was especially abrupt: a planned short break to escape recent professional setbacks, a sunny afternoon on the water, a decision to jump in, and within a short time the irreversible outcome.
Steve’s desperate attempt to save his friend — the shouted warning from another boat, the retrieval from the water, the CPR performed on the spot, the race to hospital — has been described by Silvana as the best that could have been done under the circumstances. Her insistence that he carries no blame reflects both the medical reality of sudden collapse in water and the emotional support she is offering a man who was with Cameron in his final moments.
For Silvana the practical and emotional tasks now include supporting the investigation, arranging the return of Cameron’s body, and beginning to absorb a future that no longer includes the man she had expected to marry. The couple’s shared history of travel and cohabitation makes the emptiness of the home they shared especially stark.
**Context of tourist safety in popular Greek destinations**
Zante, like many Mediterranean islands that welcome large numbers of British visitors each summer, balances the attractions of clear water, beaches, and organised boat trips with the inherent risks of the sea. Local authorities issue regular advice about swimming conditions, the presence of currents, and the importance of caution even on apparently calm days. Turtle-watching trips are generally well regulated, yet individual decisions to enter the water remain a personal responsibility.
Cameron’s case has drawn attention because of the speed with which a recreational jump turned fatal and because of the detailed account provided by his fiancée of the rescue attempt. It also highlights the emotional aftermath for those left behind: the friend who performed CPR, the partner who received the early-morning phone call, and the wider circle of family and friends now waiting for official confirmation of the cause of death.
**Looking ahead**
As forensic results are awaited, Silvana and Cameron’s family continue to receive support from the British Foreign Office and local Greek authorities. The investigation by the Zakynthos Port Authority will seek to clarify the precise sequence of events and any medical factors that contributed to the outcome.
In the meantime Silvana has chosen to speak publicly about the accident and about Steve’s efforts, partly to record the truth of what happened and partly to ensure that her fiancé’s final hours are understood as an accident rather than any failure of care by those around him.
“There’s nothing he could have done,” she has emphasised. “Everyone tried their best to help him but it’s just one of those situations.”
Cameron William Wallace leaves behind a fiancée who had only recently begun planning their wedding, a close friend who fought to save him in the water, and a network of family and friends who are still absorbing the suddenness of his death. He was 34 years old. The trip that was meant to offer a brief escape from recent difficulties ended instead in irreversible loss on a Tuesday afternoon off the coast of Zante.
The official cause of death remains under investigation. The family continues to wait for answers while beginning the long process of grief.
