Newlywed Eyre Peninsula farmer died in diving tragedy while fishing for crayfish two days before Christmas

Brad Skinner was living the Australian dream: The Eyre Peninsula farmer had just married the love of his life, he was finishing off home renovations and his business was thriving — but two days before Christmas, the sea took one of its best friends.

Brad Skinner on his October 27 wedding day. Picture: Supplied.

Brad Skinner had never been happier living the great Australian dream.

The popular Eyre Peninsula farmer had just married the love of his life, hoped to start a family, was putting the finishing touches on an extensive home renovation and his farm business was thriving in marginal country.

But just two days before Christmas, and weeks after his wedding on his Karkoo homestead, 93km north of Port Lincoln, the sea took one of its best friends.

Ceduna-born Mr Skinner, 31, died off the Far West coast while recreationally diving for crayfish — for the family Christmas lunch — with two of his best school friends.

His grieving family, well known and highly respected community members, today pay tribute to the “loyal, compassionate, funny, hardworking and loving guy”.

The shearer universally known as “Cweed”, loved the outdoors, especially the ocean, after discovering his love of water, fishing, snorkelling and boating as a youngster.

“He was a true blue Aussie country character,” said his farmer mother, Chris Skinner, 56.

“He died doing something he loved. It’s not just a tragedy for our family but for the wider community.

“He was very social and very country. There should be more Brads in the world.”

Brad Skinner with wife Danni on their wedding day. Picture: Supplied

His bereft widow Danni, 27, added: “Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

Police are preparing a report into the tragic circumstances for the State Coroner amid family fears that his hookah diving equipment failed.

Having already struck jackpot while fishing off his boat that morning, the trio had placed an Esky full of salmon and snapper in Mr Skinner’s ute.

They returned to dive for crays he “badly wanted for Christmas” at 3.30pm but he “never came back up”, his widow said.

Authorities rushed to a nearby boat ramp at Port Drummond, Mount Hope, just before 4.30pm on December 23.

Despite the frantic efforts of his distraught mates and paramedics, he died at the scene.

On October 27, he married Danni, his girlfriend of nine years, in a picturesque ceremony on their sheep and cropping property in front of 170 family and friends, 20 months after proposing at Coffin Bay, 81km away southwest.

Nearly three years earlier he was best man when his brother, best friend, premiership footy teammate and business partner Ricky, 30, a father of one known as Tuna, married Alyssa, 28, who is pregnant with their second child.

Brad Skinner (right) with his brother and best friend Ricky (left). Picture: Supplied

Brad Skinner (third from left) with family on his wedding day. Picture: Supplied.

His heartbroken widow said her country music-loving husband had “worked tirelessly” on the turf he had grown for the reception, spending hours watering for the “most perfect night”.

In a cruel irony, their wedding photographs arrived two days before his funeral at Cummins’ community complex on January 4, attended by hundreds from all across the Eyre Peninsula.

He had spent the night before his death searching for his pet dog Ernie hours after a Port Lincoln shopping trip.

Paying tribute to her “hilarious” camping-mad husband, she “couldn’t be more thankful to have had Brad in my life — a man with so much love to give”.

“He made me feel safe, he would do anything for me,” she said. “He taught me so much, he knew how to fix and do everything. We did so much together and we made great memories.

“We travelled together, built a house together, just got married and was so excited for the future, the future of kids and honeymooning.

“It breaks my heart to know that won’t happen now, he would have been a great dad. We had it all set up and our whole lives ahead of us. I was so proud to be his wife even if only for eight weeks.”

Brad Skinner as child with his brother and sister. Picture: Supplied.

The pair met in September 2009 through mutual football friends at a Port Lincoln bar, where they immediately clicked.

Building their relationship, they later travelled to Western Australia, where he shore sheep — the left-hander learnt to shear with his right hand — while she was a farm roustabout.

They then returned to the 450ha family farm while the Carlton supporter rejoined the footy field, in the backline at United Yeelanna Football Club, where he won an A-grade premiership with his brother in 2015.

“He was the sort of guy who everyone gravitated towards, who everyone loved,” said Danni Skinner, a Cummins supermarket worker.

“He was my best friend, my husband, my everything. There’s good people in life and then there’s (the) best, he was one of the best, I felt hit the jackpot with him.

“We were such a happy couple, life just didn’t get better. He was the most selfless person I have ever met and for that he made me a better person. The world was a better place having had him here.

“From the moment I met him he made me laugh and he was still making me laugh right up until this happened. He meant more to me then I can even put in words, I just love him so much.”

Brad Skinner with wife Danni. Picture: Supplied.

And the Skinner family on the pair’s wedding day. Picture: Supplied.

Speaking on behalf of her family, including husband Brenton, 57, known as Buggsy, and her children, Ricky, and Melissa, 28, Chris Skinner wept as she told how she had never seen her eldest son happier.

“Everything was falling into place,” she said.

“He was a happy person anyway, I look back at those wedding photos I know … everything was meshing together nicely. What those two brothers had was unique.”

She had a simple message for those afraid of diving — keep going back into the ocean. “It is what Brad would want,” she said.