Steffan Williams may only be 8 years old, but he has already saved half a dozen lives in his hometown.

The Welsh youngster, who enjoys spending his days paddling along the coast of New Quay, Ceredigion, first spotted three people in distress from his kayak near the end of August.

Williams then retrieved a dingy from the shore, returned to the tourists, and towed them back to safety. The trio was grateful for his help, and gave him a thank you tip of some cash.

Then, just two days later, the 8-year-old was kayaking along the coast once more when he saw two young men standing on a rock at sea, whistling for help and waving to get his attention.

Their phones had run out of battery power, and the two boys were cold, tired, hungry, and trapped on the rock without the ability to call for assistance.

This time, Williams alerted the coast guard, who used a rescue boat to pick up the boys from the rock.

The shoreline is notoriously dangerous for tourists who use the beach as a shortcut to get to nearby campsites. Many of these visitors then become trapped by the rising tide. If it had not been for Williams's assistance, five people may have faced a much more treacherous fate.

"People often get caught out by the tides in New Quay as they try to go backwards and forwards from the town to the caravan sites," Steffan told Wales Online. "I just helped when I could."

Williams father Huw, who also works in the coast guard, said that he was extremely proud of his son's heroism. Steffan plans on working alongside his father on the coast when he turns 17.

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