The deaths of three novice divers in separate incidents off the Cornish coast has led experts to condemn diving courses for allowing beginners to progress too quickly.

Mark Jackson, 41, from Nottinghamshire, died in June last year after a rapid ascent in waters off Plymouth. He had learnt to dive two years before on holiday in Kos. Albert Tythecott, 65, from Barnstaple, also died after ascending too quickly from a dive in Lamora Cove, and Christopher Sidgwick, 40, from Chelmsford, died after confusing oxygen tanks off Whitsand Bay.

The Plymouth coroner, Nigel Meadows, recorded verdicts of accidental death, saying:

“I hope the diving community will take heed of the lessons learnt from the tragic deaths.”

Dr Philip Bryson, the head of the Diving Diseases Research Centre, said that novices risk their lives diving with inadequate experience. Simon Rogerson, the editor of Dive Magazine, agrees: “People learn abroad and are not qualified to dive in UK waters. It’s like climbing in the Alps after a weekend’s hill-walking in the Peak District.”

SPANISH JELLY ARMADA

Spanish resorts have been put on alert for a plague of jellyfish that have been responsible for one in five of all injuries reported on beaches this summer.

With more than 12,500 swimmers stung in Catalonia this year — and 160 injured in one day in Nerja, in the south — the beleaguered environment minister, Cristina Narbona, said the invasion was due to heightened water temperatures and marine pollution. The Spanish biologist Jesus Ballado advised washing stings with sea water and not rubbing the affected area for fear of spreading the poison.

A new flag depicting a blue jellyfish on a white background has now joined the familiar red, yellow and green flags indicating beach safety in Spain.

MICKEY MOUSE POLICING

America’s theme-park capital is struggling to contain a crime wave that has left 37 dead in Orlando’s bloodiest year ever. Despite the soaring murder rate, the mayor, Buddy Dyer, insists the city is safe: “If you’re not selling drugs, buying drugs or holding drug money, the likelihood is you’re not going to be involved in a homicide.”

Meanwhile, SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and Busch Gardens have matched promises from Universal and Disney World to give full refunds to tourists whose visits are disrupted by hurricanes or named tropical storms this summer.