Wife of scuba diver who vanished off UK coast shares chilling last picture

Steve Clowes, 57, was diving with friends on a shipwreck 15 miles off Portland Bill, Dorset, when he disappeared as he was ascending and his body has never been found
A last photo of a scuba diver entering the water before he mysteriously disappeared off the south coast of England has been shared by his wife.
Steve Clowes, 57, was diving with friends on a shipwreck 15 miles off Portland Bill, Dorset, on May 25 last year when he suddenly vanished. The moment he stepped off the boat and plunged into the sea for his final tragic dive was caught on camera. At the time Mr Clowes, a qualified diving instructor with 25 years' experience, had been wearing his late father's Rolex Submariner watch he had hoped to pass on to his own son one day.
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Mr Clowes was last seen 15 metres from the surface as he made a controlled ascent back up at the end of the routine dive. A large scale air and sea search was launched but sadly Mr Clowes was not found. The operation was called off the following day.
Fellow divers from the close-knit community carried out their own search of the wreck site but could not find him. As the anniversary of his disappearance approaches his wife Vivien said she will be 'forever searching' for her husband of 35 years.
Mrs Clowes, 57, said: "Steve was my rock, he was the one person that was always there for me. Despite extensive search efforts, his body has never been recovered. A year later I'm still searching. I still check the news every day, searching for diving incidents in Dorset, hoping someone might find Steve.
'I like to think he is safe on an island somewhere, sipping a coconut. But I know he is not with us anymore and I know if anything was found it would be a body. Part of me is desperate for him to be found so I can hold his ashes, but not having him home means I can pretend he's just stuck somewhere."
She added that finding his body would not only bring closure to her but also mean the return of a sentimental family heirloom. The couple met when they were teenagers and went on to have five children together - Beth, Becka, Kayla, Jack and Will.
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Mr Clowes, from Sheffield, was an electrical engineer but had a passion for diving and had trained as a TecRec technical instructor and PADI Master Instructor. He was very outdoorsy and loved hiking, camping, rugby and spending time with his family and was also a scout leader.
Mrs Clowes also wants to highlight how stressful is the bureaucratic process loved ones have to go through when there is no body to prove someone is dead.
At the same time as dealing with the emotional trauma of losing her husband, she had to battle to get a presumption of death certificate from the High Court. Without it Mr Clowes' life insurance would not pay out and she would have lost their house.
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Mrs Clowes said the process is long, costly and draining. She said: "You have to submit an application to the High Court, place public notices in the paper, often people need to hire legal representation, that can cost about £7,000.
"I was lucky I had a friend with a legal background to help me, I wouldn't have been able to afford it. But the public notice costs about £1,000 and you have travel costs to the High Court.
"All this at a time when you're grieving and barely functioning, the mental strain of it, it's a horrendous process. I raised the issue with my MP, hoping to spark reform but the response she got from government was just that's the process, it's the law."
Mrs Clowes added: "I hope to honour Steve's memory by sharing his story, keeping the possibility open that someone might come forward with information, or that future searches might be feasible with the right equipment. And to shine a light on the quiet, often invisible grief of families who lose loved ones at sea."

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Wales Online

12 hours ago

• Wales Online

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Daily Mirror

12 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Bookkeeper's killer might never share darkest secret after umbrella clue emerges

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Edinburgh Live

a day ago

• Edinburgh Live

Edinburgh van driver killed top academic after mounting kerb while looking at phone

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh van driver under the influence of cannabis killed a leading academic out walking in the street. Darren Gilmour, 42, had also been occupied with his mobile phone when he hit Dr William Noel after mounting the kerb in Trinity Crescent, Edinburgh on April 10 2024. Dr Noel tragically never recovered and died a fortnight later in hospital. The 58-year-old had been visiting the capital to purchase rare books for Princeton University in Pennsylvania in the USA, where he was the Associate Librarian for Special Collections. Gilmour pleaded guilty to the causing the death of the Cambridge University graduate by dangerous driving on Friday. He will be sentenced next month. Dr Noel - originally from Yorkshire - had been with two colleagues during the visit to Scotland. The trio had been walking on the pavement back to their hotel when tragedy struck around 6pm that evening. Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the High Court in Glasgow: "As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system. (Image: University of Cambridge) "He failed to pay attention to the road ahead causing the vehicle to leave the road in the direction of WIlliam Noel and his companions." The advocate depute added the van went up onto the pavement, initially clipped one of the academic's friends before hitting Dr Noel from behind. He was lifted onto the bonnet, struck the windscreen before landing on the ground. An off-duty doctor out walking her dog as well as a passing nurse immediately ran to help. Dr Noel was then rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The victim's wife back in Pennsylvania was contacted and she flew over to Scotland to be with her husband. Dr Noel's brother also arrived from London. But, on April 29, he sadly passed away due to suffering severe head trauma as a result of the collision. The court heard cabinet maker Gilmour had been found to have 2.4mg of THC from cannabis use per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mg. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages Gilmour's KC Tony Graham said on Friday: "If he could do anything to take back what happened on that date, he would, but, of course, he cannot. "He appreciates words uttered may seem cheap, but he does offer an apology to those bereaved." Gilmour, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, had been on bail, but Mr Graham did not move for that to be continued. Lord Cubie remanded him in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports. The judge: "Nothing the court can say can possibly compensate the loss caused. "This offence appears to have arisen as a direct consequence of your lack of concentration, more concerned with your mobile phone than the road and potentially affected by drug consumption." Dr Noel specialised in the study of Medieval and Renaissance European books. He was described in court as a "highly regarded academic" and "very well known" having hosted TED talks and many public speaking events. Dr Noel had also previously been honoured by the Obama administration for his commitment to open science. end