Eye-watering moment British tourist backflips into the sea but smashes his face onto the side of a boat, breaking his nose and jaw and tearing part of his nostril away

• Macaulay Burke, 28, was in Turkey with nine others for an all-inclusive holiday

This is the eye-wincing moment a British tourist backflips into the ocean, smashing his face on the side of a boat and breaking his nose and jaw.

British butcher Macaulay Burke, 28, had jetted off to Altinkum on the south west coast of Turkey with nine others for a week-long holiday at a five-star all-inclusive resort.

After spending time relaxing at the pool, the group booked a beach-hopping boat excursion around the coast of Didim.

Macaulay decided to jump from the middle deck into the turquoise waters as his family watched from the top deck.

Horrifying footage shows Macaulay confidently backflipping off the boat, but smashing into the side of the vessel on the way down before hits the water.

Horrifying footage shows Macaulay confidently backflipping off the boat, but smashing into the side of the vessel on the way down before hits the water

Shocking images show the injuries sustained, including a broken nose and dislocated jaw

The dazed diver tentatively swam back towards the boat with the help of another passenger, without realising the extent of the damage.

Shocking photographs show the injuries sustained, including a broken nose and dislocated jaw.

He also ripped part of his right nostril off and tore his bottom lip clean from his gum line, exposing his jaw bone.

After being rushed to hospital straight after the July 19 incident Macaulay under went a two-hour reconstructive operation to have his face stitched back together.

Gym enthusiast Macaulay said doctors noted that if he didn’t have a ‘strong’ upper body he could have snapped his neck and died on impact.

Macaulay, from Warwick, said: ‘I had been excited to go away and had been buzzing for months and months on the lead up to it.

‘It wasn’t a mad party holiday, it was meant to be a relaxing one with family.

‘I did the backflip at the first stop [on the excursion], which was about 25 minutes into the journey.

‘We had been messing about all holiday doing backflips in the pool and that was all perfectly fine.

‘As I did the backflip, I could see the boat.’

He added: ‘As soon as I took off I knew it was going to end badly, there was not much reaction time. The boat hit me straight in the face.

‘I’m lucky I didn’t knock myself out. I was in the water and I was very dazed and I knew something bad had happened.

‘I smashed my face and instantly broke my nose and tore my lip away from the gum.

‘I dislocated my jaw and managed to tear my gums apart so you could seethe jaw bone.’

Macaulay can be seen in agony after he smacks his head on the side of the boat while doing a backflip

Macaulay showing his injuries. He ripped part of his right nostril off and tore his bottom lip clean from his gum line, exposing his jaw bone

Macaulay being treated in hospital. Macaulay said doctors noted that if he didn’t have a ‘strong’ upper body he could have snapped his neck and died on impact

Another passenger dived into the sea and helped Macaulay back to safety.

He was then taken on a speedboat back to shore with his brother-in-law Ainsley Carpenter, 32, where an ambulance was waiting to drive him to hospital.

Macaulay said: ‘At first I thought I’d be okay and I was just going to stay on the boat.

‘I played rugby for years so I have a good pain threshold and have broken my nose multiple times.

‘But when I looked in the mirror all I could see was blood, I was just swallowing so much blood.

‘I knew my nose was broken as it was just really wide and I had torn my right nostril.

‘It pulled my nose piercing out and I had a flap of skin on my right nostril that was torn and I managed to smash a hole into my upper lip.’

Speaking of the two days spent in hospital, where he had 50 stitches, Macaulay said: ‘They did a brilliant job in Turkey. My nose hasn’t been this straight since before playing rugby.

‘People go out to Turkey to get a nose job. I had mine done but in a very different situation.’

He was given his fit-to-fly pass and was able to travel back to the UK on July 22.

Although on the mend, Macaulay says he has been back and forth to hospital after returning home to see facial reconstruction specialists.

He also claims UK doctors told him he was lucky to be alive.

Macaulay said: ‘I was told when I got back that I was so lucky.

‘I go to the gym quite a lot and train and they said that if I didn’t have a strong neck and shoulders, I could have snapped my neck and be in a very different position.

‘A doctor said I could be dead if I had snapped my neck on impact.

‘I think if anyone was slightly smaller or skinnier than me, they could be in a different situation.’

Macaulay with his sister Chelsea on holiday in Turkey. Macaulay said: ‘It wasn’t a mad party holiday, it was meant to be a relaxing one with family’

Macaulay said he is grateful to have taken out ‘last-minute’ £10.80 travel insurance the morning of his flight to Turkey and said he could have been lumped with an eye-watering £50,000 bill.

He’s now urging everyone to take out insurance before they go on holiday.

Macaulay said: ‘I’m not entirely sure how much everything cost me.

‘I’ve heard a few different sums but I mean you can gather the price from just the ambulance trip alone, which was £750.

‘I had facial reconstruction which is going to be a hell of a lot of money. I estimate it’ll be well over £50,000.

‘You need to get insurance, even if you think you’re not going to hurt yourself.

‘I was on a family holiday and it just goes to show that anything can happen unexpectedly and for £10 it can save your life.

‘I am very thankful to the surgeons and the insurance company for helping me out. It could have been a very different story.’

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