Mother thanks stranger for saving her son from riptide

Culdaff in County Donegal is a popular spot in the Republic of Ireland for holiday makers

The mother of a six-year-old boy from Londonderry has thanked a stranger for saving her son's life at a County Donegal beach.

David Moore was playing with friends on Culdaff Beach last week when their football rolled into the water.

David, unaware of the dangers, tried to retrieve the ball himself before he was taken out to sea by a rip current.

"I ran down to the water and just couldn't see him, that's when my hero came to the rescue," Sarah Moore said.

Riptides, or rip currents, are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can quickly drag people out to deeper water.

The mother-of-two said that she and her children go to Culdaff beach regularly during the summer months and decided that morning to spend the day there.

"Wee David was down near the water playing football with his friends," Ms Moore told BBC Radio Foyle.

'A split second'

"He knows never to go into the water above his knees and I would never take my eyes off them when he's near the water.

"I saw his friend kick the ball into the water and David, who would be quite possessive over his football, went to get it and just went in a bit too far and in a split second he was gone."

Ms Moore said she frantically ran down to the shore and attempted to enter the water herself to try and save her son.

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"The more I tried to get to him the further I seemed to be getting away from him," Ms Moore said.

"It was pure horror, I can't even explain it, I honestly thought I had lost my child."

A man who was walking along the beach at the time witnessed David struggling in the water and sprang into action.

"He immediately handed over his baby that was with him to my friend and sprinted toward the sea," she said.

Ms Moore said the man struggled to fight against the strong current himself at first, but eventually managed to make it towards David.

"When I heard David's wee cry, it was just the best sound in the world," she said.

The relieved mother said that she will be forever grateful for the man's heroic actions and said that "somebody was watching over them that day".

Ms Moore said she wanted to share her story so that people are fully aware of the dangers that can happen by the seaside.

"Warn your children about the dangers of the sea, because a lot of times you don't win against the sea unfortunately."