AN ANTIQUES dealer who went missing during a Christmas Day swim disappeared while heroically trying to save a woman, a friend has revealed.
It is feared that 63-year-old Matthew Upham drowned while out for a traditional festive dip in Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
A massive rescue operation was launched and several swimmers had to be pulled from the water after getting into serious difficulty amid terrible conditions.
Beloved antiques dealer Matthew, along with another man, remain unaccounted for after the disastrous swim.
One of Matthew Upham’s close friends has now revealed that he vanished under a wave while heroically trying to save a woman in distress, the Daily Mail reports.
Mr Upham and a group of pals had gone to the coast on Christmas morning, some wearing Santa hats, to take part in the traditional swim.
The group dived into the frigid waters, followed by dozens of others, before they all got into difficulty.
High winds and huge swells dragged terrified swimmers under the waterline with emergency crews scrambling to the scene shortly after the swim began.
The 63-year-old had almost managed to get back to shore when he spotted a woman in trouble and dived back beyond the surf line to rescue her, his friend said.
Mr Upham’s friend of 30 years told the Mail on Sunday: “Matthew swam back out to reach her but as he did so a huge wave crashed into him and dragged him under. He hasn’t been seen since.
“He was an exceptionally fit man and someone who swam those waters practically every day but more than that he was an incredibly selfless person.
“So when he saw that woman in distress, there was only going to be one outcome and that was him swimming straight out to reach her rather than save himself.”
Reports suggest that the other missing man, a 40-year-old, had in turn gone to save Mr Upham after his brave attempt to assist the struggling woman saw him get into difficulty himself.
In an Instagram statement, the family of Matthew Upham identified their loved one as one of the missing swimmers.
Mr Upham’s family said they were: “heartbroken by the loss of our beloved family member… who was lost on Christmas morning.”
“Matthew is deeply loved and will be forever missed,” the statement adds.
A yellow rose has been left on the doorstep of the 63-year-old’s antiques store on the High Street of Budleigh Salterton.
Fellow swimmer Mike Brown previously told how it was a “mistake” to enter the water.
He was rescued from the 6ft waves by two other men who selflessly dived in to save him from the choppy seas fully clothed.
“These two men without any concern for their own safety waded in to help me,” he said.
Mike added: “They took an arm each and dragged me to safety and as quick as it had started, it was over, I was on the beach and I was safe.”
After entering the sea, Mike was “unable to get out” and feared the worse.
“After successive waves crashing me into the stones, I managed to get into relatively shallow water, but I was spent,” he said.
“I had no energy left to stand and I’d taken a number of blows to the head.”
Mike said the Christmas Day conditions were some of the worst he had ever tried to swim in.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing 6ft waves while wind gusts reaching 65mph at the local beach on Thursday.
A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall had been cancelled due to a yellow weather warning in place over the region.
Emergency crews were scrambled to the popular seafront at around 10.25am following concern for swimmers in the water.
RNLI rescue teams battled huge waves as they helped scour the water along the Jurassic Coast.
Helicopters and lifeboats could be seen carrying out “extensive” shoreline and offshore searches.
Matthew Upham and the other man who vanished beneath the surf have yet to be accounted for.
It is feared both men drowned during the horrific incident.
