The young man with a love for the water lost to the Mersey on a first date

A talented young man with a bright future, Haydn Griffith's life came to a terrible end, lost to the water he loved so much. The 23-year-old disappeared into the River Mersey on what should have been a joyous evening.

A first date - a night that should have been memorable - became memorial for all the wrong reasons.

Haydn's death has left his loved ones devastated - and determined to do their bit to prevent another tragedy. Haydn, from Lowton, Wigan, died after being swept up in the waters of New Brighton beach in Wallasey, Merseyside on July 19.

One of the hottest days of the year, he went swimming with his companion. At around 10.30pm, it's thought Haydn was attempting to swim out to the wind turbines at Derby Pool when he disappeared under the water.

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Family members, who say he was a strong swimmer, believe a jellyfish sting he suffered earlier in the evening may have affected his ability to stay afloat. Haydn's loves ones say he calmed his companion down, before she swam three miles to shore to get help.

"She could still hear him shouting when she got onto the beach," his sister Megan Griffiths told the Manchester Evening News : "It took her about 30 minutes to run up the beach to get help. The response was so, so fast.

"I fully believed we would find him somewhere."

Haydn's body was found four days later - on July 23 - at Pier Head. His death is currently being treated as unexplained.

"We are now trying to get the message out there about what happened," Megan added. "If it can happen to Haydn, it can happen to anyone."

Megan, 29, said Haydn had recently done a refresher course on saving lives at sea and was knowledgeable in breathing techniques