A hero dad saved a stranger's child from being dragged out to sea during the heatwave.
Timmy O'Driscoll from Knocknaheeny near Cork, Ireland was at Owenahincha beach on Sunday when he saw a young boy in trouble as he was being forced out to open water by strong currents.
His mum reckoned "it could have been a lot different" had the Good Samaritan not been there to help her son, CorkBeo reports.
Timmy, who was with his partner Jenna and family, saw the boy and a man playing in the water before a lifeguard on duty told the pair to move to safer water between the flag markers.
"They were swimming away and the lifeguard came over to say 'get back between the flags,' that it was too dangerous, then the lifeguard when back to his own duties.
"The boys were back in the water anyway, and I was watching, and saw that the tide was dragging them back out."
Timmy said that while "the older fella made it back out of the water", the other young boy could not swim back to shore.
"He was a kid, maybe around 11 or 12, and he couldn't get back, his head kept going under the water.
"I just took off down the beach, the other fella said he couldn't go in for him, he couldn't swim,
"I just went into the water and grabbed him to get his head above the water."
The boy was so far out that even 6ft 2in Timmy couldn't touch the bottom and was trying to keep himself afloat along with holding up the child.
Timmy said "I just thought, he has to get back or we're not going home at all after this.
"I just kept shouting at him to 'kick your legs, kick your legs,' and when he told me he was too exhausted to kick, I just told him 'we're gone if you don't'
"I could see the waves coming in, and they were really big, I'm 6 foot 2 and they were coming over my head, I don't know where I got the strength, but I managed to throw him up over the coming wave and it brought us back towards the shore.
"I still couldn't touch the floor and the poor chap's head kept going back down under the water."
After being pushed towards the shore, the two made it back to the safety of the beach.
"It must have only been about five minutes," said Timmy, "but it felt like an hour out there."
"Thank God we were both grand when we got back, every time he went under he had his eyes and mouth closed so he didn't swallow any water."
As he brought the boy out of the water, the lifeguard was on his way down to the water's edge and assessed the child, who was given the all-clear.
The mother of the child reached out to Timmy today to thank him for saving her son.
She said: "I have no words to say of how grateful I am, it could have been a lot different if you weren't there."
Timmy said: "The mother said he got an awful fright, and that there's no way he'll be going back to the beach any time soon."
