A British man died after he jumped from a boat while on a tourist excursion on his second day of a holiday in Zante. 

Cameron William Wallace, 34, was on a turtle-spotting trip with a close friend when he fatally jumped into the sea on Tuesday at around 3pm.

Mr Wallace, from Exeter, had rented a boat with friend Steve Pittman and was near the island of Marathonisi, off the southern coast of Zakynthos, when the incident occurred. 

Port authority officers and beachgoers helped get Mr Wallace to shore, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid were immediately performed.

Mr Wallace, a former electrical engineer, was rushed to the port of Agios Sostis and then to hospital by patrol boat after being found in a critical condition.

Mr Wallace was later pronounced dead at the General Hospital of Zakynthos.

A preliminary investigation has been launched into the incident by the Zakynthos Port Authority. A post-mortem into his death will also be carried out.

Mr Wallace had recently celebrated his engagement with 34-year-old Silvana Bernardes.

Cameron William Wallace, 34, was on a turtle-spotting trip with a close friend when he fatally jumped into the sea on Tuesday at around 3pm (Pictured: Mr Wallace and his fiancé Silvana Bernardes)

While it is believed the holiday followed Mr Wallace’s losing his job after running his electrical engineering business for a decade.

Ms Bernardes told The Sun her fiancé ‘was really excited to go’ to Zante, with the news of his death coming as a ‘huge shock’. 

She continued: ‘It was a complete accident. We don’t know if it was a heart attack or too much water in his lungs.’

The news of Mr Wallace’s death was broken by Mr Pittman on Wednesday morning. 

He told Ms Bernardes: ‘I’m really sorry, I don’t know how to say this but something really bad has happened, Cameron’s died.’ 

It is understood Mr Pittman has been left feeling guilty over Mr Wallace’s death. However, Ms Bernardes insisted there was ‘nothing he could have done’. 

Tributes have since poured in from the friends and family of Mr Wallace, who described him as a ‘well loved friend’ who will be ‘greatly missed’. 

One woman, who is believed to be the 34-year-old’s older sister, said: ‘I’m heartbroken to announce my baby brother Cameron Wallace’s sudden passing whilst on holiday. We are in total shock and beyond devastated.’

Ms Bernardes said her fiancé Mr Wallace ‘was really excited to go’ to Zante, with the news of his death coming as a ‘huge shock’

She linked the post to a GoFundMe, adding: ‘We desperately need financial help to bring him home to lay him to rest if anyone could be so kind xxx’

While a friend wrote: ‘Cam…Where do I even begin mate? You were one of the few people who always kept in contact…from my Jakarta days right through to my wedding, where you flew halfway across the world just to be there for me.

‘I’ll always remember those Sunday morning phone calls when you were absolutely bladdered and all our chats about life…the future and everything in between. You were someone who always checked in. 

‘No matter how much time had passed or how busy life got..,you always made the effort to call… ask how I was doing and stay connected.

‘I’m going to miss those calls more than you know. You were a genuinely good friend to me… and I’ll always be grateful that you made the effort to stay in my life.

‘Rest easy, mate. I’ll miss you.’

 A Zakynthos Port Authority spokesman said this week: ‘Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), the [authority] was informed of a 34-year-old foreigner (British citizen) in a difficult position near the Marathonisi area of Laganas, Zakynthos.

‘With the assistance of beachgoers, he was transported to the shore, where he was provided with first aid using the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) method.

‘The 34-year-old was picked up by a patrol boat and transported to the port of Agios Sostis, Zakynthos.

‘Subsequently, the man was taken to the Zakynthos General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Zakynthos Port Authority.’

The Daily Mail has approached the Foreign Office for comment.