The family of a father of five from Brighton who drowned at the weekend has also lost one of its pet dogs.
Kevin Reynolds, 52, of Queen’s Park Road, Brighton, and one of his daughters were walking their dogs when the pets went into the water near the Palace Pier.
Mr Reynolds went in after the dogs to try to rescue them from the rough sea.
And his 13-year-old daughter Grace ran into the sea to try to save her father when he got into difficulty.
Mr Reynolds was pulled from the sea by the RNLI Brighton lifeboat almost an hour later and flown to the Royal Sussex County Hospital near by but could not be saved.
Grace was distressed but physically unhurt and one of the family’s pets made it ashore safely.
But yesterday a Brighton and Hove City Council seafront officer found the body of family’s other pet dog, Marley, washed up on the beach.
Mr Reynolds’s instinctive desire to save his dogs and his daughter’s brave attempt to save her father before she was helped from the sea by passers-by have touched many people.
One said yesterday: “He was a good and brave man.
“I’m not sure I would have had the courage to go into the sea like that, especially when the conditions were so rough and the water was so cold.
“And it’s hard to find the words to praise his daughter enough – 13 years old and so very brave.
“So many people will be feeling for the family right now, sharing their sorrow.
“Nothing can restore their loss but I hope they will be consoled by feelings of pride and the knowledge that so many friends and people they’ve never even met have been touched by what has happened.”
…..an hour…..oh, my. The pier should have equipment on it that can be lowered into the sea IMMEDIATELY. There should be equipment onshore along the beach that can be used with attached lines to enable retrievals. Poor little Marley. My eyes still sting tearfully thinking about this family tragedy.