A ROUND-the-world trip ended in tragedy after a woman died in a scuba-diving accident, an inquest heard yesterday.

Deborah Jennings, 25, died in Fiji in April 2002 after going on an organised diving trip with her boyfriend, Andrew Keeley.

She was an experienced diver and was travelling with Mr Keeley after gaining her degree.

Yesterday's inquest, at County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was told that Miss Jennings, from Hutton Rudby, had experienced breathing difficulties during a dive off the island of Tavewa.

Mr Keeley told the inquest: "It was coming to the end of the dive when she did indicate to me that she was having a shortage of breath.

"I started to surface and Deborah went up above me. I thought she was going very quickly and I saw that the dive master was with her. When I surfaced all I could see was Deborah being taken on to the speedboat."

She was taken to hospital by seaplane, but was pronounced dead on arrival, despite frantic attempts to revive her at the water's edge.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be pulmonary barotrauma, which means the gas in her lungs expanded.

Pathologist Dr Carl Gray, of Harrogate District Hospital, said it was unlikely that she could have been saved without correctly-equipped doctors being on hand as soon as she came out of the water.

"Clearly this was not possible at a remote scuba diving site," he said.

"On arrival at the surface she would deteriorate rapidly."

A report on the diving equipment she was using found it was free from any defects.

North Yorkshire eastern area coroner Michael Oakley recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Before the hearing he apologised to Miss Jennings' family for the three-year delay in holding the inquest, which was due to problems getting hold of a safety report on the equipment.