Wife turns around to discover husband has drowned while swimming with dolphins on honeymoon

A newlywed's life has come crashing down following the sudden death of her husband while on their honeymoon.

Andrew Roddy, from Dublin, Ireland, died on Tuesday while swimming with dolphins with his wife Gill in the Maldives.

The devastated mother of the groom, Marion Roddy, said she spoke with Gill who recalled the moment she lost sight of her husband.

"She said they were out swimming and looking at dolphins or something. ‘I turned around and Andrew was gone’ she said," Marion told the Irish Independent.

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"She didn't know how it happened because they were near each other at the time."

The news has come as a huge shock just two weeks after their wedding, especially as Marion described her son as a strong swimmer who played sports regularly.

The pair had met at work while employed at the New Ireland Assurance group and the couple were due to fly home on Monday.

Their local community in Ireland has responded to the devastating news with the Parish priest Fr Liam Ó Cuív calling him a "gentle giant".

"It's such a terrible tragedy, he was only married a few weeks. It's heartbreaking," Ó Cuív said.

Family members are en route to the Maldives to be by Gill's side and help her organise to fly her husband's body home.