ONE of south Essex’s brightest diving prospects has returned to Southend after a double medal-winning performance in Plymouth.

Shoebury’s Tyler Humphreys, 12, had been travelling to south London three times a week to train at Crystal Palace Diving for the last six months.

But he has now returned to Southend Diving after his mum and dad, Donna and James agreed he should continue his development nearer home, after the travelling took its toll on the Tyler.

And with new coach Aaron Paul behind him, Donna believes Tyler can go on to achieve great things.

“He was getting really tired,” said Donna. “The hours really caught up with him and since he moved to Shoebury High School and he has been getting more homework he has even less time than before.

“Aaron is a young coach but he has been doing really well with Tyler in the early weeks and he is really pushing him hard now.

“Tyler will be able to spend more time with his younger brother Regan and baby sister Willow now as well.”

Tyler and either Donna or James would set off at 5.30am every Saturday while he was training at Crystal Palace, not returning home until 5pm, while he was out between 12.30pm and 10pm twice a week.

Donna said Tyler left Southend Diving last summer because she and James felt their son wasn’t making enough progress, although she is confident he will push on having now returned to Garon Park.

“Tyler has made a lot of progress while he was at Crystal Palace,” she said. “We left Southend on good terms and are glad to be back now.”

And he has returned from Plymouth’s Armada Cup with two silver medals to his name, in the three metre spring board and five metre and seven-and-a-half metre platform events. His dives included a backwards two-and-a-half somersault, an inward two-and-a-half somersault and a forward two-and-a-half somersault.

The youngster has been praised by some of the most elite figures in diving circles, including Chen Wen, a three-times head Olympic coach and the man who spotted Tom Daley, and Chris Snode, who is a four-times Commonwealth Games gold medallist and World Champion.

Tyler is next in action at the National Elite finals in Sheffield in May.