A YOUNG boy swept away by the inrushing tide on the River Teifi had a lucky escape after being plucked from the water by a local fisherman.

The drama unfolded yesterday afternoon (Wednesday August 9) as fishermen Aaron Walters and Wayne Jones were returning their fishing boat to its mooring near the mouth of the river at St Dogmaels after being at sea all day.

Two young lads – both thought to be around 10 years old – on body boards had come out into the estuary from the pontoon at Patch on the Gwbert side of the river.

“They were trying to paddle across to the other side but as soon as they came out from behind the spit the tide caught them,” said 24-year-old Aaron, who is also a volunteer crew member at Cardigan RNLI station.

“One managed to get across but the other young lad fell off. He was clinging on to his board trying to swim but being swept up towards St Dogmaels and was in real trouble.

“I jumped in the dinghy and went after him. The tide was racing in and by the time I caught up with him we were up by the Webley Hotel, even though it had probably only taken a minute or so.”

Aaron dragged the youngster on board and then picked up the other young boy, who were both shaken up but otherwise none the worse for their ordeal, before taking them back over to Patch and their grateful parents.

“It was lucky we were there as usually we would have been in half an hour earlier, packed up and been on the way home but we had moved a marker buoy and that took a bit of extra time,” added Aaron.

“I don’t think people realise just how quickly the tide can come in at the point. You can be swept away in an instant as the channel is so narrow and it forces the water through there so quickly.”