A father tried in vain to save his teenage son before both drowned off the coast of Australia, an inquest has heard.
Robin Reed and his son Owen, of Blackwood, Caerphilly county, were swept out to sea while on holiday at a popular tourist beach in Queensland on 13 April.
Opening the inquests into their deaths in Newport, coroner Rose Farmer said Mr Reed, 46, had been in the sea “no deeper than waist height” at Round Hill Head, Seventeen Seventy, at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef.
His 17-year-old son Owen was close by when he was pulled out to sea by an “unexpected wave”.
“Mr Reed dived into the water, trying to save Owen and he has then also been swept into the sea,” she added.
Search and rescue teams pulled the father and son from the sea but were declared dead at the scene.
A cause of death for both was given as consistent with drowning.
The court heard inquiries were ongoing and the inquest was adjourned until a full hearing on 12 November.
Mr Reed was described as a “good friend to many” in a community that was in shock among tributes have been paid by his local football club and Pengam Boys and Girls Club where he volunteered.
