An 80-year-old visitor died yesterday afternoon from heart failure while snorkelling at Horseshoe Bay Beach.

The victim, understood to be from the United States, becomes the second drowning related death this summer. Police media spokesman Dwayne Caines said emergency crews responded to a call of a swimmer in distress just before 3 p.m., yesterday. The victim was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police refused to release the man's name until family members had been notified.

The man's wife was understood to be in the area snorkelling and was with him while he was rushed to the hospital. They are understood to be guests at the Wyndham Bermuda Resort.

Several witnesses told The Royal Gazette they had seen the victim pulled to shore by several men who made a desperate attempt to save him by performing CPR.

Two female visitors off the cruise ship The Empress of the Seas, said they saw the man floating off-shore on the eastern side of the beach and alerted several men in the area to check on him out of concern as he did not appear to be making any movements.

“They pulled him in and were yelling for the lifeguards; he seemed very close to shore,” one witness said.

Last week, a 59-year-old doctor from New Jersey died while snorkelling at Cross Bay Beach in Southampton.