Oliver Amies had gone for several late night dips in the river, near Hellesdon Mill, with friend Alex Allen, in the week before his death.

But in the early hours of August 20 last year, Mr Allen lost sight of Mr Amies in the darkness and raised the alarm when he did not return to the bank.

A search was launched and his body was found nearby, around eight hours later.

Oliver Amies played for the UEA's ice hockey team, the Avalanche (Image: Instagram)

An inquest into Mr Amies' death, held this week, heard the 31-year-old - who had taken cocaine on the evening before he entered the water - liked to swim at night because he struggled to sleep.

Mr Allen told the hearing at Norfolk Coroner’s Court: “We had recently gone to the River Wensum a few times to swim over the last week.

“It had been really warm, and it was really refreshing going into the river.

“Ollie doesn’t sleep during the night hours, so this is why we go out so late and early in the morning.

“At around 11pm on August 19, Ollie took [a quantity] of cocaine and this is a normal amount that he would normally take.

"However, he had not [previously] taken cocaine before swimming.

"Whilst taking the drugs, that is when he chose to go to go swimming in the River Wensum.”

A section of Marriott's Way close to where Oliver Amies went missing (Image: Google Street View)

The friends, who had known each other for nine years and lived together when students at the UEA, shared a rented property near Old Laundry Court, off Heigham Street.

They headed along the Marriotts Way, arriving at their swimming spot, off Gunton Lane, Costessey, at around 1.45am, where they stripped off before entering the water.

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