AN ACT of heroism which saw two 14-year-olds rescue youngsters ‘tombstoning’ off Llandudno has been praised by a police boss.

Callum Hold and Guss Crowe, both pupils at Ysgol John Bright in the town, dragged two young boys who were in difficulty off Pigeon’s Cave near the Great Orme.

The youngsters had been taking part in the craze which sees people hurl themselves into the water from height.

Their rescue effort, which could have ended in tragedy, has been hailed by North Wales Police Chief Constable Mark Polin.

The teenagers were said to be “instrumental in the potentially life-saving rescue of two boys”.

The incident happen on August 4 in the sea close to Marine Drive in Llandudno.

Callum, of Kings Drive, Llandudno, said: “Guss jumped first and then a little kid from another group decided to jump in.

“As soon as he hit the water, someone yelled out ‘he can’t swim’ and we looked down and he was hanging on to a rock, screaming for help.

“So I went out to him to help and he was holding on to my shoulders and dragging me down at the same time.

“Guss saw I was struggling and he swam up right behind me so I let go of the little kid so Guss could get him and I swam back in.”

Another young boy, with limited swimming ability, jumped into the water.

Callum proceeded to swim back out and grab the first boy from Guss, while Guss swam back out to rescue the second one who had jumped.

In a letter, Mr Polin thanked both “brave” and “courageous” boys for their heroics during the incident.

“I feel it is important that you are recognised for the fearless and unselfish exploits that you demonstrated and I, along with many members of the community, would like to commend you for your determined efforts,” he wrote.

Callum vowed to think twice next time before going ‘tombstoning’ again, saying: “It was pretty scary.

“It has made me more aware of what can happen in that kind of situation.

“I always thought nothing like that will ever happen to me but maybe it does.”

Guss’ mother, Sally Crowe, said: “I am proud of him (Guss) but also I want to raise awareness about the dangers. I did say to him what were you doing there?

“It could have been a very different story, but I am happy to speak about it because hopefully other children can learn from it.”

A RNLI spokesperson warned tombstoning, was a dangerous activity, saying: “The water may be shallower than it looks and submerged items may not be visible and can cause serious or life-changing injuries if you hit them.

“The water can be a lot colder than it looks so the shock of cold water may also make it difficult to swim and in the sea and rivers currents can sweep you away.

“The RNLI does not recommend ‘tombstoning’. You should never allow others to pressure you into jumping.”