British surfing star, 31, drowned in Venice Canal hours after arriving on romantic break with his partner when bystander spotted his body and thought it was a dolphin

Published: 15:15, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 15:18, 10 June 2026 A British tourist drowned in a Venice canal just hours after arriving in the Italian city for a romantic break with his partner, an inquest heard. Catchawan 'Champ' Thongpia, 31, was found unresponsive and floating in the water after leaving his hotel 'for a smoke' last November. Mr Thongpia, a talented surfer from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was discovered by a member of the public who initially mistook him for a dolphin. He was pulled out of the Rio de Santa Marina by emergency services but pronounced dead, North Yorkshire Coroner's Court was told. The inquest in Northallerton, attended by Mr Thongpia's partner Samantha Litchfield, heard how it remained a mystery as to how he ended up in the water. Italian police believe he may have accidentally fallen in after losing his balance while leaning on railings. Coroner Catherine Devereux said: 'Police reports confirmed there to be no third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances and indicate Mr Thongpia may have leant against a railing present at the location and accidentally fallen in. 'It remains the case however that no one actually witnessed how Catchawan came to be in the canal that evening.' Catchawan 'Champ' Thongpia, 31, was found unresponsive and floating in the water after leaving his hotel 'for a smoke' last November Mr Thongpia, a talented surfer from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was on holiday with his partner Samantha Litchfield at the time Thailand-born Mr Thongpia had left the four-star Hotel Cavalieri to buy CBD oil after arriving in Venice for the beginning of a five-day holiday. He was seen in the water by Giorgio Savardine, a passing member of the public, at around 6.30pm on November 3 last year. Mr Savardine said in a statement: 'It was dark so I was thinking about the dolphin that was seen some days before in the lagoon. 'After approximately one minute of considering that the current was carrying it towards me, I realised it was a human body. 'I immediately shouted to grab his attention and help him but I realised he was unconscious and not responding.' Mr Savardine said he tried to hang from bars at the side of a bridge in an attempt to grab him while another family called for emergency services. Firefighters and paramedics later arrived at the scene and pulled Mr Thongpia from the water but despite efforts to revive him he was pronounced dead. CCTV showed Mr Thongpia appearing to lean on railings at the canal side before he disappeared from the camera frame. Emergency services rushed to the scene but the surfer was confirmed to have died A surfing festival was held in Scarborough in April in Mr Thongpia's (pictured) memory A post-mortem examination found he died from 'violent mechanical asphyxia due to drowning'. Ms Devereux said: 'On November 3, 2025, Catchawan Thongpia who was on holiday in Venice was found in the canal near the Hotel Cavalieri after he left his hotel to go for a walk. 'Paramedics were called to the scene and despite resuscitation attempts he was pronounced deceased. 'Given that nobody witnessed how Catchawan came to be in the canal that evening then I will record my conclusion as an open conclusion.' Ms Litchfield paid tribute to her partner, known as 'Champ', in the days following his death. She wrote on Facebook: 'My love, how can this be real. What do I do without you? 'You were my whole world, my future. I'd never felt so loved and safe. I never knew a love like this could exist. 'I will love you with every atom of my being until I take my last breath and we'll be together again. I'm lost without you my darling.' A surfing festival was held in Scarborough in April in Mr Thongpia's memory. Friends described him as a 'true legend of our community'. They described him as a nomadic character who loved travelling and lived 'simply and fully'. 'He was always up for a surf, or any random adventure someone suggested,' they added. 'A pure soul, as cliché as it sounds. No badness in him. He was, above all else, fun.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.