A doctor is believed to have drowned after going missing six miles out at sea.

Cancer specialist Dr Judy Beard, also known as Judy Belcher, mysteriously fell backwards as she climbed back onto a boat following a group dive.

The 52-year-old mother disappeared below the waves on Tuesday, July 10 and hasn’t been seen since.

Her husband Nicholas Belcher and teenage daughter Holly have described her as “a beloved wife and mother”.

They said: “She was an experienced scuba diver and was diving with friends from her diving club.

"An accident occurred and she was lost in the sea. She was loved and respected by many people from all walks of life.”

Dr Beard, who lived in Hooe, near Hastings, was a consultant haematologist and lead cancer clinician for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

She had worked at Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards, among others.

She was also secretary of the Hastings Sub Aqua Club and had gone out with the fellow members to dive at the Oceana shipwreck six miles off the Eastbourne coast.

Mysterious fall

They had left the town’s Sovereign Harbour on the club’s Betty Louise boat for their midday dive.

Shortly before 1pm the group resurfaced and began to get back in the boat to head home.

But as the doctor climbed the boat’s ladder she fell backwards and disappeared under the waves.

She was not seen again and after more than eight hours of scouring the area, the search was called off.

Diana Nicholas, 64, a fellow dive club member, said: “It is terribly sad. She was passionate about diving and something of an expert.

“She had completed the dive so I’ve got no idea what has happened.”

Her work colleagues at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked at the tragic news about the loss at sea of our esteemed colleague and friend Dr Judy Beard.

“Judy was a well respected doctor who was loved by her colleagues and patients alike. She will be deeply missed by us all. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.”