There were screams and panic as a little boy drifted out to sea on a yellow inflatable duck from a beach.
Mobile phone footage captured by a girl shows her father, Dave Benjamin, paddling towards the massive float to get to the boy, who had his water wings on.
As he gets closer, the inflatable duck flips into the air and the boy falls into the water near a beach in Michigan City, US.
Dave told CBS News: "As I'm paddling out there, I can see the child is pretty terrified. He was crying, hanging out to this duck's head.
"Luckily those floats stayed on but the was bobbing at the surface."
Dave said he was out with his family on a boat on Monday when they noticed people waving at them to help the boy.
He first noticed a woman and her two boys on the inflatable duck before one of the child fell out and the woman went to grab him.
But when she turned back to grab the duck, it drifted farther and faster in the off-shore wind.
"She tried running after it and swimming after it, but it kept getting further and further away," Dave explained.
"At one point, it was at her finger tips but then not it's a foot away and two feet away."
On-duty lifeguards were alerted and checked on the boy's condition after the incident.
The boy did not sustain any injuries and appeared to be okay.
Officials at the Coast Guard confirmed the boy had water wings on but said it is not enough.
They said it is always best to wear a life jacket approved by the Coast Guard and be prepared for the weather and wind.
