Two Scots schoolgirls were swept out to sea on a unicorn lilo before a local hero came to the rescue.
Christian Perez saved the two youngsters, aged about 11, after they into trouble at Montrose beach, Angus, at around 5.30pm on Sunday, June 13.
The 42-year-old, who is a strong swimmer and keen surfer, said he struggled against the tide and wind and it took 20 minutes to get the girls back to safety.
Shocked onlookers called 999 but Christian returned the girls to safety before emergency services arrived.
He said: "It was a real struggle and I'm a strong swimmer.
"If I hadn't just been in the right place at the right time it could all have ended so differently.
"I'm just so glad I was there and able to get the girls to safety.
"I wouldn't like to call it a rescue but it could have had a very much more devastating ending."
Christian, originally from Chile, a manager at Arbikie Distillery who lives at Lunan Bay, said he had been spending the day on the beach when he saw the girls. He said they looked to be aged around 11 and were taking the lilo out to sea.
The girls became separated and only two of them went into the water. That was when the current and the winds began to pull them far from shore.
Christian surfs and swims regularly and said he is very confident in the water.
He has also been involved in another rescue, when he saved the life of a surfer in Venezuela when he was only 16.
Christian said: "I saw the three girls with the unicorn inflatable and realised they were pulling it towards the sea. I was really worried and spoke to them to ask if they knew what they were doing. They told me they were fine but I was very concerned."
Christian began preparing to help them back out of the water "just in case".
He said: "It was only minutes later that I looked again and saw that two of the girls were on the lilo, getting pulled out to sea. I realised this could be really dangerous and immediately got into the water."
Beachgoers enjoyed high temperatures on Sunday but high winds made for choppy waters.
Christian said: "When I got there they looked really worried but I just spoke gently to them and told them I was going to tow them back to shore."
Christian said he asked the girls to start paddling to help and their difficult journey back to safety began.
He said: "They were being pulled towards St Cyrus so I knew to swim diagonally to the shore. It was pretty tough going."
It was another 15 minutes before he got them to the beach.
"I was lucky to be there and so were they," Christian said.
"It was only because I know I am a really strong swimmer and am very confident in the water that I knew it was OK for me to go in. I think the girls were a bit embarrassed at what happened but the main thing is they are OK. I just tried to reassure them the entire time and let them know they would be safe.
"I definitely wouldn't recommend to anyone else that they do this unless they know exactly what they are doing and will be able to cope with it."
Christian said he is so concerned about what happened he is now considering teaching water safety.
The incident also sparked a warning from HM Coastguard.
A spokesman said: "This could have been a potentially much more serious incident. Inflatable lilos of this nature are not intended for use on the sea.
"We would like to take this opportunity to make people aware of the dangers of doing so. Fortunately, this incident had a happy outcome."
