SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — A retired Solana Beach firefighter is being remembered after passing away while on a cruise vacation last month.
Bret Potter, 59, died during a snorkeling excursion on a 5-day cruise from Miami to Turks and Caicos, according to his wife Janet.
"When he got out of the water, he had said that he wasn't feeling well," Janet Potter said. "Apparently, somebody thought that his color didn't look very good, and he collapsed.”
Janet, who hurt her back, had stayed on the cruise ship on that day in early February.
CPR was performed, but doctors later told Janet that her husband likely died before reaching the shore. The medical examiner's initial indication was that Bret suffered a heart attack.
"Just missing him so much that it actually hurt and missing being held by him. Just trying to accept doing life without him,” Janet said of her husband of 38 years.
She described Bret as her "other half" and a grandfather of nine, who was fun-loving and generous.
Bret Potter worked for the Escondido Fire Department for two years and then spent over 23 years as a firefighter engineer with the Solana Beach Fire Department before being medically retired about a decade ago after suffering a heart attack.
"The biggest thing was just serving people, just being with people when times were difficult," Janet said of her late husband.
Despite his prior health issues, Janet said there were no indications anything was wrong before the tragic incident on the cruise.
Bret Potter loved activities related to the ocean, like surfing and fishing. Thoughts of the water have provided his wife some solace.
"There's a lot of comfort that comes from [the fact] that he went from the beautiful crystal clear waters into heaven," Janet said. "I can't think of a better way for him to go except for that I would be by his side."
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with the costs of transporting Bret Potter's body back to the U.S.
A public funeral will be held at noon on March 24, at Maranatha Chapel on Coastwood Road.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
