A MOTHER has said she is in awe of her son who jumped into the Cleddau and pulled out one of the victims of the paddleboarding tragedy that took place over the weekend.

When Natasha Williams' son Joel, 20, saw people in distress in the water he took off his shoes and jumped in to assist the stricken party.

“He left here Saturday morning to have his hair cut,” said Joel’s mum.

“We had a phone call 20 minutes later from him saying he needed some dry clothes and a towel because he had just dragged a girl out the river. He was as calm as anything. We were like 'what'?"

A paddleboarding party got into trouble on the Cleddau at Haverfordwest over the weekend with three people killed and one still in critical care.

“Joel was walking across the bridge when he saw people in trouble,” said Natasha, “so he took his phone out his pocket. People were trying to help. One person said to him ‘you can’t jump in’, he said ‘I am’.

“He tried to get to the man by using the rope but could not. Then he saw a woman come past him floating on the water, he grabbed her and dragged her on to the slipway and did CPR until the emergency services got there.”

Joel’s mum had no idea what her son, an apprentice plumber in Narberth, had done.

She originally thought some people had just slipped in the river and Joel had assisted them.

“I was at home and at the time I had not taken in what happened. I just thought someone had fallen.

“I am not surprised what he did but I am absolutely in awe.

“Joel was crazy to do it at the time but how can you not when there are people fighting for their lives?"

Mum Natasha described her son as a very laid back person which she is thankful for because she feared this event really could have effected him. 

"He's fine. We are just grateful he is a strong swimmer because we could have had a knock in the door as well.”