A little over a week after celebrating his 36th birthday, actor and body-builder Brett Bengochea drowned at Balandra on Saturday afternoon.
According to reports, Bengochea, who starred in local films Trafficked and A Story About Wendy 2, was swimming with friends off Balandra Bay, when he complained of feeling tired and unwell. As he was being assisted by a friend to swim to shore, Bengochea reportedly lost consciousness and had to be dragged the rest of the way.
Bengochea’s friends administered CPR but were unsuccessful in their attempts to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO).
Bengochea, a father of two, held a 4th Degree Karate Black Belt, and was the 2015 National Junior Men’s Physique Champion.
His acting credits also includes The Honestest Honest Truth (2016 TV Pilot), The Apartment (2015 TV Pilot) and Girlfriends Getaway (2014).
Matura Police are continuing investigations.
A post-mortem is expected to be performed on Bengochea’s body at the Forensic Science Centre in St James this morning.
