Joshua Santos Christian: Tributes for Brit who plunged to his death after slipping and hitting his head while leaping from a bridge into the water below during night out with friends in Australia

Tributes have been paid to a British man who died after slipping and hitting his head while jumping from a bridge into the water during a night out with friends in Australia.

Joshua Santos Christian, aged about 30, died early Sunday in the coastal town of Noosa Sound, Queensland.

Christian, who moved to Brisbane from Wirral, was among a group of friends taking turns jumping from the Noosa Sound Bridge into the water when tragedy struck.

After completing one jump, he returned to the bridge for another attempt.

Unfortunately, he lost his balance while crossing the railing and hit his head on the way down.

When Christian failed to get out of the water, his friends immediately began a frantic search before contacting emergency services at around 1am.

His body was recovered around 6am after a local boat operator used sonar equipment to help find him.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Now, his heartbroken family and friends are raising money to repatriate his body to the United Kingdom.

A GoFundMe page says Christian “was in a happy place destroying life with his Australian tribe and his beloved girlfriend, Becca.”

‘He lived a happy and loving life and always lived up to his motto “here for a good time, not for a long time.”‘

“I can’t put into words how special you were and how you lit up every room,” friend Jimmy Allen wrote on social media.

“You always wanted the best for everyone and made them feel very, very special.

‘I will always be thinking of you my brother and you will always have a special place in my heart.

“I’ll see you on the other side.”

Another friend said Christian’s death was “heartbreakingly tragic.”

“Sometimes they take away the biggest flames from us,” said another.

His funeral will take place at Landican Crematorium in Birkenhead.

The tragic death comes after several warnings from police against jumping from the bridge. Despite warnings that it could lead to serious injuries, it remains a popular tourist activity.

Now-retired Master Sergeant Peter Feldman previously explained what makes it so risky.

“They are not only risking their own lives, but also those of people passing by in boats,” he told Noosa News.

‘It is a crime to jump from certain structures and they are breaking the law.

‘It’s not the height of the bridge that makes it dangerous, but the way they can fall. It only takes a fall of a couple of meters to seriously injure someone.’

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Australia and are in contact with local authorities.”