Dr James Lincoln, a lecturer at the University of Manchester, drowned while rescuing his six-year-old son from an estuary near Porthmadog, Gwynedd, on 5 August, an inquest has concluded. The 45-year-old died on his birthday after getting into difficulty in the water.
Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones recorded a verdict of accidental death from drowning. Dr Lincoln had been swimming with his 12-year-old daughter Amy and son Sam in the estuary of the River Glaslyn and River Dwyryd when the incident occurred at about 15:30 BST.
Witnesses reported that Dr Lincoln and his son got into trouble, and the boy clung to his unconscious father as they were pulled from the sea. His mother, Rosemary Segger, who was on the beach, heard him shout 'Sam' before he disappeared behind an island and was swept to a neighbouring bay.
James Spragg, another beachgoer, said he saw the boy holding onto what he thought was a surfboard, but upon pulling them ashore, realised it was Dr Lincoln's body. Despite efforts from onlookers, lifeboat crews, coastguard, police and ambulance staff, Dr Lincoln was airlifted to hospital in Bangor, where he died later that evening.
The area, known locally as 'danger rock' due to fast-flowing tides, has since had new warning signs installed at Borth y Gest. Dr Lincoln, who graduated in Physics from the University of Manchester in 1995 and returned as a lecturer in economics in 2016, was described as 'a great person and a loving father'.
