A YOUNG lad who nearly drowned in the sea off Bournemouth wants to say a big "thank you" to the two surfers who jumped into the water to save him.

Will Cook and his father were surfing near the Pier on Tuesday when the nine-year-old became caught on a groyne, with powerful waves crashing around him.

Dad Mark tried to free his terrified son from the rocks, but he himself became tangled with the line from his surfboard.

Two surfers on the shore spotted what was happening and immediately dived into the water to rescue the youngster.

They managed to bring Will safely back to shore, and his dad freed the boards, although Will's was broken in the incident.

Now the lad from Poole wants to pay tribute to the two men who ran into the sea and pulled him from the water.

"I nearly drowned and it was very scary and I want to say a good 'thank you' for saving our lives," said Will. "Surfers are so cool."

Mum Helen said she had watched horrified from the shore as the strong waves buffeted the trapped pair.

"I could see the boards knocking against the groynes, and the waves were quite high.

"When you are a mother and standing on the sea edge and you can see what's happening, it's very frightening."

She added: "We didn't get the names of the surfers, as it all happened in the heat of the moment, but we would just like to say 'thank you' to them. People often run surfers down, but these two were so nice to William."

And she believes her nine-year-old son, who has been a member of Bournemouth Surf Club since the early summer, has learnt a valuable lesson from his scare.

"This has shocked him so much that I think he will keep away from the groynes in future."

First published: October 28