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Scuba diving marriage proposal goes wrong when bride-to-be nearly drowns in surprise

Dramatic proposal could have gone tremendously wrong after the shock caused surprised girlfriend to fog up her goggles

He was planning a dramatic grand gesture but one hopeful boyfriend caused more of a splash than he bargained for when his underwater proposal nearly caused his girlfriend to drown.

Stephanie Walker was 12 metres below the surface when Anthony Taylor, 27, held up a laminated card with the words 'Will you marry me?' written on it.

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The 26-year-old was so shocked by the unique proposal that she gasped, filling her mask with water causing her to choke.

Thankfully diving instructors nearby managed to help Stephanie clear her mask in time for her to see Anthony holding out a diamond ring.



Stephanie then held up a card saying 'yes' before the couple returned to the safety of dry land where they were greeted by cheering spectators.

"We had mentioned marriage before but I had no idea he was going to do it then," said Stephanie.

"We had never been scuba diving before so it was a once in a lifetime chance really.

"We had air tanks and masks on and were both waving at a camera while posing with the fish. Then there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see my other half with a blackboard bearing the hand-written message 'Will you marry me?¹

"The guide quickly handed me a board which had 'YES' on one side. I turned it over to check but it said 'YES' on both sides.

"It was literally completely out of the blue. We were told by the instructors before don't breath though your nose but when he proposed I definitely did and suddenly everything filled up with water.

"Luckily we had the instructors on hand because they were all in on it. They sorted me out and we got back to the boat.

"The instructors all seemed to know what they were doing, and slipped the ring to Anthony while they fixed my mask. Once I was capable of breathing again, I saw the ring and Anthony put it
on my finger."



The two-week break at the resort of Marmaris in Turkey was the couple's first holiday together and the groom-to-be's first ever trip abroad.

Anthony said: "I was originally going to propose to Stephanie over dinner, or on the
beach. But then I got a bit creative.

"I had bought the ring before we set off on holiday. And when I went to book the scuba diving trip, it got me thinking.

"I drew up the signs with the instructors beforehand. It was great planning it all.

"Stephanie needed some help with her mask after she saw the sign. She had water in her goggles but I knew she would be okay."



The couple - who met on a night out in Wolverhampton a year ago - plan toget married in September 2015. But customer services manager Stephanie already has her dream dress sorted after she won a wedding frock from Isaac Charles Bridal House in Birmingham.

The bride-to-be beat off 15,000 entrants to win the shop's competition for a couple with the 'perfect engagement' story.