A retired surgeon is up for a top bravery award after diving into the Pacific ocean to reach a wounded yachtsman.

Paul Stableford - a non-swimmer - was taking part in a round-the-world yacht race when a crewman on a rival boat suffered a leg injury.

The 66-year-old was attached to a safety line before being dragged 50 metres through shark-infested waters in a force five gale to reach the yacht.

He then tended patient Tim Richmond, 40, while the ocean-going yacht battled for 26 hours to reach a tiny American airbase in the mid-Pacific.

The father-of-five from Horton, near Swansea, has already won a Royal Humane Society Bronze award for his courage.

But the Association of Retired and Persons Over 50 (ARP/050) organisation - which recognises acts of human endeavor - will present him with their gold award at the Cafe Royal in London.

"It is very nice to get these awards but I only did what anyone else in my position would have done," said Mr Stableford.

"I was the nearest doctor for thousands of miles so the injured sailor was glad to see me."

Distress call

Mr Stableford was crewing on the 60ft clipper the Serica when they picked up a distress call from another boat in the race the Taeping.

Crewman Mr Richmond had been on deck when a rope whipped around his lower leg almost severing it.

He had lost a lot of blood, they were out of helicopter range, and no one on the Taeping had medical training.

"We sailed 26 miles to reach the other yacht and the plan was to send me over on an inflatable life-raft," said Mr Stableford.

Weather conditions

"But things went wrong due to the weather conditions and in the end the only way across was to swim."

Mr Stableford, who retired from Bristol Royal Infirmary four years ago, found Mr Richmond's injuries were life threatening.

But he was able to stabilise him, set up a drip and administered antibiotics while the yacht headed for the American airbase on the Johnson Atol - 900 miles from Hawaii.

Mr Richmond, an oil rig foreman by trade, was later transferred to hospital in Hawaii but doctors were unable to save his lower leg.