Ian Horridge known as 'Action Man' drowned on holiday in Norway minutes Ian Horridge, 44, was on week-long diving expedition in the Fjords in JuneÂ He text wife Sandra before starting a 50-metre dive above WWII shipwreck But something 'dramatic and sudden' happened as he started the dive Father-of-one, from Urmston, became unconscious and free-fell to seabed Inquest heard it is unclear why diver - with 20 years' experience - collapsed He used a mix of gases in his unit and possibly lacked oxygen, court heard Mr Horridge also had enlarged heart for which he had surgery in 2005 Ian Horridge, 44, drowned during a deep sea dive while was on holiday in Norway in June this year An adventurer known as 'Action Man' drowned in Norway just moments after sending his wife a picture captioned: 'If Carlsberg did dives, they would probably be the best dives in the world'.Â Ian Horridge, 44, was on holiday off the coast of Bremanger in June this year as part of a week-long diving expedition in the Fjords. The father-of-one, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, was about to take part in a 50-metre scuba dive above a Second World War shipwreck when he texted a picture of the water to his wife Sandra. But as Mr Horridge was swimming to a buoy above the the wreck, he suddenly passed out and free-fell to the bottom of the sea. A fellow diver found Mr Horridge - who had more than 20 years' diving experience - lying chest-up on the shipwreck with his mouthpiece loose. Mr Horridge, who was diving along with 12 other enthusiasts, was flown by helicopter to Haukeland University Hospital in BergenÂ but was later pronounced dead.Â His 63-year-old wife, who described Mr Horridge as a 'larger than life' character, had text her husband back but believes he never received the message. An inquest into his death in Stockport heard how there is no clear evidence about exactly how Mr Horridge died. But something 'dramatic, sudden and significant' happened as he was starting to descend, which caused him to pass out.Â Â The court heard howÂ Mr Horridge had already completed three successful deep-sea dives in the days before his death and gave no indication that he was feeling unwell or there was a problem with his equipment. The structural engineer was also described as being 'meticulous' in checking his breathing gases, which experts say appeared to be functioning properly. But the court heard how Mr Horridge, who set off to explore with 12 other divers, probably died after losing consciousness due to a lack of oxygen to his brain.Â The court heard he also had an enlarged heart, for which he had undergone surgery in 2005. Coroner John Pollard said:Â 'The experts have confirmed it would appear there were no equipment failures and as far as possible to check, the breathing gases were checked. 'I've heard divers would breathe through their equipment for 2-3 minutes and would then swim on the surface to the area where the shot line is located. At that point something dramatic, sudden and significant happened. My very firm belief is he had lost all consciousness as he started to descend and was completely oblivious as to what was happening to him. The father-of-one, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, sent this photo with the caption: 'If Carlsberg did dives, they would probably be the best dives in the world' before embarking on 50-metre scuba dive During the hearing, Mr Horridge was described as an avid 'technical diver' - a term coined to describe those who dive at greater depths than conventional scuba diving and stay underwater longer. The hearing heard how technical divers do not usually use conventional air because it creates a high risk of oxygen toxicity. Instead, they add gases such as helium to the air mix so they are able to use their equipment at greater depths. The court heard that Mr Horridge could have suffered from a lack of oxygen in his air mix, something which is imperative for the diver's safety.Â His wife Sandra, 63, (pictured left with their son Adam Steel) replied to her husband's final message but believes the father-of-two (pictured right) did not receive itÂ Giving evidence at the hearing, fellow diver Robert Braithwaite said Mr Horridge started off 'very controlled' but soon fell in trouble. He said: 'I started my descent down the shot line and at about 10metres I stopped to sort something out with my equipment. I saw Ian going down free-diving on to the wreck. He looked very controlled and totally co-ordinated without errors or issues. If anything I thought he was going slightly quickly but he might have been wanting to get his oxygen pressures up. Unfortunately as I got over within 30 seconds I realised he was on his back and when I got down to his level - about 50 metres - I realised he was in trouble. Mr Braithwaite described how he tried to grab Mr Horridge's his hand to pull him up, but his glove came off. Mr Horridge, a structural engineer, pictured with his wife, had been diving for 20 years and was always 'meticulous' in checking his equipment, the inquest heardÂ He said: 'It was a very dead weight. There was no buoyancy. I realised it was Ian and got hold of him and pulled him by hand to get him to the surface. I had to somehow get buoyancy into the system to get him to the surface. I got air into a valve and he started to rise and I rode him to the surface. It was faster than I should have gone in order to be safe. We got him on to a platform and then on to the deck. By looking at Ian I thought he was dead - I wish I could have done more. Mr Horridge, also a keen cyclist, was given his 'Action Man' nickname after travelling all over the world to deep-sea dive Mark Evans, another diver on the trip, said it is imperative for divers to have enough oxygen in their unit before they descend. He said: 'Swimming to the buoy is the most difficult part. Your equipment is very heavy. You are swimming against the current, working quite hard but the gas in your unit is only 10 per cent oxygen so you have to make sure you have enough before you descend. 'If something is wrong and the oxygen hasn't auto-injected when you get to the top of the shot line you could fall asleep. 'You have lights and sirens that would tell you if it isn't working properly and they flash and you can check your computer but if you miss them you can pass out. That's the most dangerous part. If your loop [mouthpiece] falls out your mouth and the unit floods with water it will take you down. Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Pollard described Mr Horridge as 'fit and well', despite having had surgery for an enlarged heart in 2005. He had also been treated for 'the bends' during a previous expedition. Mr Pollard added: 'Mr Horridge was an experienced diver and described by those who dived with him as careful and meticulous in his preparations and executions.' After the hearing Mrs Horridge, a bank worker, said: 'Ian was a larger-than-life character and a very active man. He always told me not to worry and on his last dive he sent me the picture of where he was about to dive and said, "If Carlsberg did dives, they would probably be the best dives in the world." 'I texted him straight back but he obviously didn't get the message. He used to say, "Life isn't a dress rehearsal, you have to live it." He did more in 44 years than most people do in their lifetime.'Â Mr Horridge got his nickname from his family because he travelled all over the world to take part in deep-sea dives. The expedition had set off from Bergen to explore the wreckage of the German steamship Helga Ferdinand which was bombed by British Beaufighters and sank in the Midtgulenfjord in 1944.