The best friend of a man who died in a boating accident on the Broads has described the tragic moment their craft capsized and the haunting sound of his calls for help.
Danny Smith was with Nathan Strowger and three others heading along the Waveney near to North Cove when their small dinghy suddenly flipped over, throwing them all into the water.
The vessel sank quickly but Mr Smith and the others were able to swim to safety. Despite their efforts, however, they could not locate Mr Strowger, 30.
His body was discovered three days later, after an extensive search of the river by police, other agencies and friends of Mr Strowger.
None of those on board were wearing lifejackets, and Mr Smith has decided to speak out to highlight the dangers of the waterways and to encourage people to support a GoFund Me page set up to raise money for his friend's funeral.
The tragedy happened at about 9.30pm on July 10, while the friends were enjoying an evening on the river.
Mr Strowger was helming the boat when the bows suddenly started to go below the water, causing the vessel to quickly capsize.
"We were just cruising along back to the boat where Nathan lives," Mr Smith, 36, said.
"Everything was fine, when suddenly the front of the boat went underneath and flipped us in.
"By the time I surfaced I couldn't see the boat. The boat sank and was basically swallowed by the river.
"I started swimming to the side and it was only then did I notice how strong the current was and how far away everyone was from me."
After climbing out, Mr Smith was able to pull two of the others who had been on board to safety.
"Nathan was still so far away and calling for help," he added.
"I ran down towards the moorings calling for help. The people in the [nearby moored] boats called the [emergency] services and one man rowed upstream to help.
"By the time I ran back up the river to see what was going on, it was too late. Nathan was gone.
"I cannot put in to words how quickly it all happened and it just goes to show how dangerous the river is."
He added: "My message to anyone travelling on a boat would be to wear a lifejacket. It is so important, the current is so strong that you simply cannot fight it.
"I have been thinking to myself about it every night. It is heartbreaking being so helpless."
The afternoon had started when Mr Strowger - who lived on a cabin cruiser, Baggins, which was moored further upstream between Beccles and Geldeston - picked up Mr Smith in his smaller boat which was powered by an outboard motor.
"Nathan picked me up on his smaller boat at the 24-hour moorings at Worlingham and we were just going to spend the afternoon together.
"It was a nice afternoon so we decided to head towards Lowestoft on the boat to meet some of Nathan's friends," Mr Smith added.
The pair travelled to Oulton Broad, where they collected Leanne Gibbs, another close friend of Mr Strowger's, and two of her friends, before heading back towards Beccles.
Mr Smith said he raised concerns with Mr Strowger that the boat may be too small for the number of passengers, but was reassured.
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"Nathan said it was fine and as he's been living on the river since 2018 I was never going to question his judgement. He knows the rivers, they gave him freedom and enabled him to relax," he said.
The tragedy happened on one of the remotest stretches of the Broads, near the villages of Barnby and North Cove.
Mr Strowger's body was found by a member of the public at a bend in the river known as Six Mile Corner.
Mr Smith, who now lives in Leicestershire, said he had struggled to come to terms with the events of the evening.
The pair had been friends since 2011 when Mr Strowger moved next door to Mr Smith's then home in Lowestoft.
He later started working at Mr Smith's plastering company.
"My mum committed suicide in 2019 and I didn't think it could have got much harder than that," Mr Smith said.
"But watching your best mate drown and there be nothing I could do about it is the worst thing in the world.
"It was such an unfortunate accident, as I said it is terrifying how quickly it all happened.
"People need to beware of the dangers of the river and be trained and prepared for the worst-case scenario."
Mr Smith commended the "brilliant" work of the emergency services and also thanked Adam Winyard, another friend of Mr Strowger's who later got involved in the search, and other members of the public.
To donate to Mr Smith's GoFundMe page to raise funds for Mr Strowger's funeral see: https://gofund.me/75a47e24
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