Australian man overboard to save girlfriend recommended for bravery award

An Australian man who dived into the ocean from a cruise ship trying to rescue his partner has been recommended for a bravery award.

Paramedic Paul Rossington, 30, and his partner Kristen Schroder were deemed to have drowned in the tragic incident.

Rossington dived into the Tasman Sea 120 km off the New South Wales (NSW) coast from the Carnival Spirit cruise ship after his girlfriend slipped from their fifth-storey balcony in May 2013.

Deputy NSW coroner Hugh Dillon found on Tuesday that the couple were having relationship problems and that Schroder, 26, had put herself in danger by hanging over the side of their cabin balcony to attract attention.

But she slipped and fell into the ocean, and CCTV footage showed Rossington diving over the side in an attempt to save her.

Dillon concluded on Tuesday the couple would have died within hours even if they survived the initial fall.

Footage showed she tumbled 6.7 meters, struck the railing of a lower deck, then somersaulted a further 12.6 meters into choppy waters.

Their disappearance was not discovered until the ship docked in Sydney the next morning.

Dillon acknowledged the call from the detective in charge of the case for Rossington to be posthumously considered for Australia's highest bravery award, the Cross of Valor.

"Paul's act in jumping off the ship to help Kristen appears to have been conspicuously courageous and undoubtedly placed him in extreme peril," Dillon said.

Schroder's diaries were presented to the inquest and contained passages showing she had been increasingly unstable in the months up to the cruise which was meant to be a healing experience for their relationship. Endite