A HAMPSHIRE woman has told of the harrowing moment she struggled to save her boyfriend from a boat accident in Canada that claimed the life of her father.

Last night Danielle Hooker was still waiting for news of her missing partner Rav Pillay, after he and her dad, Nigel Hooker, of Hedge End, were thrown from a whale-watching vessel.

Condolences poured in from friends and family yesterday as Ms Hooker, a former pupil at Barton Peveril College and Wildern School, paid tribute to her dad and boyfriend with a photo on Facebook.

Canadian authorities were yesterday questioning the stability of the boat when it was struck off the coast on Vancouver Island on Sunday as their probe into the disaster continues.

Ms Hooker, a graphic designer, lived with the family in Watkin Road, in the early 2000s but has since moved to Australia.

The 28-year-old said Mr Pillay slipped from her hands into the depths of the Pacific before help arrived.

“It’s him or them,” Canadian police spokesman Constable Jim Preston said.

“They let go or they just can’t hold him any more and he goes under. He goes straight down. They say the last thing that they saw is him disappearing into the water.

“They were holding on to him [until the] point they couldn’t hold on to him any longer and he went under. They actually watched him disappear down below. They said he disappeared and then it was just dark.”

Daily Echo:

Nigel Hooker, centre, during a 2013 road race. Picture by SMC Road Race Series

Aimee Hooker, 27, was also on board with Mr Hooker. The Daily Echo reported yesterday how the 63-year-old was one of five Britons killed when a rogue wave struck the Leviathan II and sent passengers overboard.

Authorities in Canada said the boat tilted and capsized after passenger movement made it top-heavy.

Marc-André Poisson, the Transport Board of Canada’s director of marine inspections, said: “We know that most passengers were on the top deck on the port side. This would have raised the centre of gravity, affecting the vessel’s stability.”

Twenty-one people, including Mr Hooker’s daughters, were rescued by coastguards and fishermen, it emerged yesterday.

Aboriginal fisherman Ken Brown reportedly rescued 13 people after responding to a signal flare from the ship.

“I knew what it was right away. I knew people were in distress and somebody needed help,” Mr Brown said. “There was people screaming, you could hear a lady screaming on the rocks.”

He pulled three survivors from the water, including a pregnant woman, while another 10 climbed onto his boat.

Mr Hooker’s ex-wife Dawn, third daughter Frances and former brother-in-law Robin travelled to Canada on Tuesday to console Danielle and Aimee.

“The whole family is in complete shock and disbelief and struggling to come to terms with the events on Sunday,” relatives said in a statement.

“Our dad Nigel was a loving and caring father, grandfather and brother who had an appetite for adventure.”

David Thomas, 50 and his son Stephen, 17, from Swindon, died in the accident, along with Britons Jack Slater, 76 and Katie Taylor, were also among the dead.