Man whose brothers drowned at sea leaps into action to save boy

A FATHER-of-four said he did "what any right-minded person would do" when he paddled out to sea to save a boy from drowning.

- ANDREW FORGRAVE

The bravery of the 53-year-old, who asked not to be named, was partly motivated by personal tragedy, having lost his two brothers in a drowning accident more than three decades earlier.

He sprang into action after the alarm was raised on Llandudno's West Shore beach on July 13. Beachgoers held their breath as they watched him gather up the boy, who was left flailing in the water after his dinghy was blown offshore into the Conwy estuary.

"I think he would have drowned if I hadn't reached him," he said. "Possibly his dad too - he was trying to swim out to him."

When the alarm was raised on the beach, an off-duty lifeguard joined the boy's father in trying to swim 200 yards to his rescue.

Mindful of his family tragedy, the Llandudno man immediately realised the emerging danger.

"There was a good chance not all three of them would come back," he said.

"I know what I did was silly. My sons, aged 10 and 21, were on the beach watching me - what if there hadn't been a happy ending? You can never tell with the sea.

"But my mum and dad lost two sons at sea and I've seen the impact this can have on a family.

"I had a wetsuit on, I had access to a paddleboard, so I simply couldn't sit there and do nothing."