Friends and rescuers tried to save a popular footballer who "couldn't swim" after he got into difficulty when he jumped into the water at Salford Quays, an inquest has heard.
Ngapekare Marenga, 19, tragically drowned on July 18 this year after jumping into the water, with several people frantically trying to rescue the talented striker.
A hearing at Bolton Coroner's Court on Friday heard evidence from several friends who had been with Ngapekare that day - and the brave people who had tried to rescue the tragic teen.
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The court heard that Yahya Mazhur, who was present in court, Matheus Luna, and Kingsley Nunes had all been with Namibia-born Ngapekare that day.
They had played a football match in the morning before heading to Salford Quays to enjoy the hot weather before a BBQ they were all going to later that day.
As the group gathered, there were a number of other people swimming in Salford Quays, despite signs warning people of the dangers and outlining a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place that prohibited unattended swimming.
The friends were able to find a spot close to The Alchemist bar, and were soon jumping into the water.
As several friends went into the water in Huron Basin, Ngapekare, who lived in Ardwick, stayed on the side as he was not able to swim, the inquest heard.
After around an hour, the group were preparing to leave when Ngapekare decided he wanted to get into the water.
He jumped in alongside Matheus, but it very quickly became apparent that something was wrong, as Ngapekare disappeared under the water and didn't resurface, the inquest was told
Kingsley's statement, read by assistant coroner Peter Sigee, said: "He didn't disappear under the water straight away but seemed to struggle for a few seconds before submerging.
"Very quickly people were asking where Ngapekare was and trying to jump in to save him and it became very chaotic."
Two strong swimmers, footballer Ella Thompson and bystander Matthew Josson, who were both enjoying the weather with different groups, quickly joined the search, diving under the water to try and locate Ngapekare.
They were alerted by screaming, and both joined two other men who were "repeatedly diving" under the surface to search for the teen, the inquest heard.
Mr Josson's statement, read by Mr Sigee, said he'd seen a commotion at around 4.30pm, and went to see what was wrong.
Mr Sigee continued: "A man had swallowed some water and gone under so Mr Josson got some goggles and went into the water.
"He describes himself as a fairly good swimmer who can hold his breath for around three minutes.
"He dove down searching for a man and thought he'd found the bottom of the Quays but realised it was getting deeper and deeper.
"On the third attampt he thought he felt the arm of the man on his foot so he reached down to pull him up but despite pulling as hard as he could he could not pull him up.
"He left it until the last possible second and then had to let go because of fatigue and had to go and catch his breath and get out of the water."
Evidence was also heard from Peter Openshaw, the assistant director of environment and community safety at Salford City Council, and Paul Chapples, Peel L&P's director of facilities and assets management, about the signage along the waterfront.
Mr Sigee heard that several dozen "no swimming" signs were placed around the quays, along with signage outlining the PSPO that prohibited unattended swimming.
Mr Chapples had written in his statement that both agencies had taken out all life buoys from the area as they were often vandalised or removed, and had installed throw lines at the recommendation of the fire service.
These lines were held in locked boxes that could be accessed with a code available from a 999 operator in the case of an emergency.
After considering the life-saving equipment and signage around the water, Mr Sigee determined that there was no need to create a prevention of future deaths report as all necessary measures were already in place.
Detective Inspector Helen Bagnall was the officer in charge of the investigation into Ngapekare's death.
She told the court that he had no injuries that suggested he'd been assaulted or forced into the water, and said his family had confirmed that the youngster was not able to swim.
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Sigee said: "Ngapekare died from drowning at Huron Basin in Salford Quays aged 19-year-old.
"It was a very hot day and Mr Marenga was with friends who were swimming in the water.
"There was a PSPO prohibiting unattended swimming and warning signs saying no swimming was allowed were in place.
"Mr Marenga got into difficulty because he could not swim and efforts were made to locate and rescue him but it was not possible to reach him before he died.
"I would like to reiterate my condolences to his family and friends and publicly thank and commend everyone involved who placed themselves in danger entering the water in an attempt to rescue Mr Marenga.
"It's just a matter of great sadness that they were not able to recover him before his death but I do commend every one who was involved in that attempt."
Following Ngapekare's death, friends and family gathered at the spot where the tragedy unfolded to pay their respects to him.
Some lay flowers while others left heart-felt tribute messages in chalk at the water's edge.
Every year, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service joins fire crews across the country in urging people not to jump into open water during warm weather.
A post promoting their 2021 Summer Safe campaign was published on the GMFRS website just two days before this tragedy, begging people not to swim or jump into open water as dozens of people die each year after getting into difficulty.
Even experienced swimmers are told to stay dry as cold water shock, strong under-water currents, and getting tangled in undergrowth or abandoned items can all cause people to drown unexpectedly.
