Uni of Oxford student found dead in the sea during his year abroad

The 21-year-old languages student was studying in Guadeloupe

1 month ago

Claudia Cox | News

An Oxford languages student was found dead in the Caribbean sea during his year abroad. 21-year-old Antonio Gato’s body was recovered from near a beach in the Caribbean island Guadeloupe on Friday 18th October.

Antonio was studying French and Spanish at St Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford. He came from Hull in East Yorkshire. Antonio was in his third year, and chose to study in Guadeloupe – which is still an overseas region of France – for his year abroad.

He reportedly went swimming in the sea at Malendure beach in Bouillante. When people noticed he was missing, the costguard, police and a fire crew searched for him. His body was recovered 25 metres from the beach.

Antonio went to Wyke Sixth Form College. He got all A*s in his A-Levels. At Oxford, he was president of his college’s Ethnic Minorities Society and he was the PR officer for the Oxford African and Caribbean Society. He volunteered to teach children in Bali and had a part-time job in Starbucks.

Students, staff and fellows from St Catherine’s College gathered in the college quadrangle in his memory on 21st October.

The chair of the modern languages department, Prof Jonathan Thacker, said: “Antonio will be remembered in the two sub-faculties to which he belonged, French and Spanish, as a fine student and a wonderful person who was taken from us too soon.

(Image via Facebook)

“Although I did not have the pleasure of teaching Antonio personally in his two years in the Faculty learning French and Spanish, I have spoken to many staff and students in the past few days who knew and loved him and are devastated at his death.”