The owner of the Virgin group, Mr Richard Branson, has paid tribute to Mr Tommy Cecil, of Rathlin Island, Co Antrim, who has died in a diving accident off Scotland.
Mr Cecil (51) ran the ferry from Rathlin to the mainland at Ballycastle for 25 years. He rescued Mr Branson 10 years ago when his balloon crashed into the Irish Sea after a historic Atlantic crossing.
Mr Cecil was with a deep-sea diving party off the island of Islay, in the Inner Hebrides, on Sunday when he and a companion were forced to make an emergency ascent from deep water about 10 miles north-west of Rathlin.
After suffering an attack of decompression sickness, Mr Cecil was flown by helicopter from the HMS Gannet at Prestwick to a recompression chamber at a hospital near Oban, but was dead on arrival. He was married with seven children. The second diver was treated for shock at the scene.
Mr Cecil had campaigned for a more modern ferry service for Rathlin which, ironically, put him out of a job last year.
Mr Branson described him as "a man of courage and one of life's great characters" who had a lively sense of humour.
"There weren't many people like Tommy around," he said.
The DUP leader and MP for the area, the Rev Ian Paisley, said: "Tommy Cecil lived for his island. He gave it his all and his best. He seemed to live, eat, drink and sleep Rathlin. He was open but kind, forthright but compassionate, strong in conviction but gentle in approach."
The British Labour MP, Ms Kate Hoey, who is a friend of the Cecil family, said: "Tommy was a wonderful man who always put the interest of Rathlin at the heart of everything he did. He will be missed by everyone who knew him."