TRIBUTES have been paid to a caring grandfather who died while on a dream diving trip in Egypt.

Relatives of Stuart Bromley said the former Navy serviceman, builder, dustbin man and nurse passed away peacefully while pursuing one of his great passions in the Red Sea.

The 63-year-old only took up diving in the past five years and was returning to Egypt for the second year running when he died shortly after the completion of a dive on April 27.

Work colleagues at Blind Veterans UK said the popular nurse would be greatly missed following the “terrible tragedy”.

Mr Bromley was one of seven children from a well-known Portslade family who attended Portslade Boys School before joining the Navy.

He left to start a family, and got a job working on the local dustbin collection round before becoming a builder.

During the recession at the start of 1990s he took on another career change as a nurse, first at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and then for 15 years at Blind Veterans UK at Ovingdean.

A keen biker, he attended many rallies over the years and his much-loved Laverda bike was in pole position at his funeral held at Woodvale Crematorium in Lewes Road, Brighton, on Saturday afternoon.

The father-of-two was on a diving holiday with his girlfriend and members of the Newhaven Scuba Centre on a live-on yacht based in the world-class diving waters off the beach resort of Hurghada.

Mr Bromley’s daughter Emma Gillie, from Newhaven, said: “He had been on lots of dives already on the holiday and was having a fantastic time, they were staying on a fantastic luxury yacht.

“He came up from a dive and was fine, he was on the surface chatting with a friend.

“It all happened within minutes and then he was gone.

“For him it was probably the best way to go.

“As a nurse, he was aware of what happened to people, he had seen awful things that had happened.

“It was not some tragic accident, it is not like there is anybody to blame.

“We weren’t aware that he knew of any heart problem.”

Lesley Garven, manager of the Blind Veterans UK centre in Ovingdean, said: “Stuart was a valued member of staff who was totally committed to the welfare of our blind veterans.

“He was very popular, had a great sense of humour, and will be greatly missed by all our staff and the veterans he worked with.

“This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”