Hero's dash into sea saves young boy

The hysterical family rushed up to Josh Fattorini and Tina Horn desperately looking for someone who could swim. Photo / Supplied

Josh Fattorini feared the worst when he saw a little boy floating face down in the water.

Mr Fattorini, 22, was taking photos at Hahei Beach, on the Coromandel, yesterday afternoon with his girlfriend, Tina Horn, when the 7-year-old's hysterical family rushed up to them, asking if they could swim.

The mother said her child was drowning - and Mr Fattorini could see the boy's arms in the air as he struggled in the water.

He raced into the water and found the boy face down and not moving about 20m from the beach. He pulled him back to the beach but worried that it was already too late.

"I had a lot of adrenaline going. I just knew I had to get to him. He didn't look too well - so I was saying to him, 'Stay with us', as I went back."

While the rescue was happening, the boy's frantic mother started running into the water as well, but then fainted in Ms Horn's arms.

Once back on the beach, Mr Fattorini gave the boy to his uncle, who lay him down on a towel. Almost immediately the 7-year-old started frothing at the mouth, his eyes flicked open and he began vomiting water and food.

"His parents started talking to him," Mr Fattorini said. "It was a little bit frantic. They were trying to keep him calm."

He later heard that the boy had stopped moving about the time the family raised the alarm. "He wasn't unconscious for too long so that's what probably saved him."

Auckland-based Mr Fattorini said he could swim, but didn't consider himself a confident swimmer. "I'm definitely no lifeguard. I have so much respect for those guys."

Afterwards, the grateful family couldn't thank him enough. "They were overwhelmed that I could get him back. The mother was so pleased and quite a few people came up to me and said, 'Well done'."

But in a cruel twist, Mr Fattorini's camera disappeared while he was involved in the rescue. He went back and scoured the beach but could not find it.

Mr Fattorini said he didn't know if had been misplaced or stolen but hoped if anyone found it they would return it.