The father of a baby blown into the chilly waters of a harbour while strapped into a buggy has paid tribute to the "amazing" response of neighbours, passersby and emergency service workers who combined to save the child's life.
A dockmaster jumped into the water to prevent six-month-old Sam Cooper-Stevens being swept out to sea and an off-duty nurse administered CPR when it looked as if the child may have been beyond help.
Despite the swirling winds, the Devon air ambulance pilot managed to land close to the site of the drama at Watchet in Somerset to get Sam to hospital as quickly as possible.
Sam's father, Martyn Stevens, praised the efforts of the rescuers. He said: "The response of everyone was amazing. It goes to show Watchet is a great place."
Stevens' partner, Kate Cooper, 34, was wheeling Sam along a pier on Sunday morning when a gust of wind blew the buggy and child into the water. Sam fell face down into around 4m of water.
Fortunately, Cooper's screams were heard by dockmaster George Reeder, 63.
He said: "I was on the esplanade and heard the commotion and I assumed somebody's dog had gone into the water, so I went cycling over. The mother was there and she said: 'My baby has gone in the water', so I went to the edge and I could see the pushchair upside down."
The tide and current were pulling the child out to sea. Reeder said: "I just jumped in and pulled the pushchair back over to the quay, and then somebody put a rope down over and I tied it on and they lifted it out."
Reeder, a keen surfer, played down the notion that he was a hero. "I am glad I could help. We saved a life – brilliant. Everyone keeps saying: 'Oh, you're such a hero', everyone keeps coming up and shaking my hand and I think it's not just me. I'm just the fella that jumped in."
The baby was in the water for at least five minutes and appeared lifeless.
Off-duty psychiatric nurse Tanya Allen ran over and, though she thought she was too late, gave Sam cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). "You have to have a go," she said. Water began to bubble from his mouth and the baby began to breathe.
Allen said it was the first time she had ever performed CPR in a life-or-death situation. She said: "I am so pleased that I have been trained several times, year after year."
The child's father, who was at the family home around 500m from the harbour, told how he had also feared the worst as he raced to the scene after a friend had told him: "It's your baby, it's your baby."
Martyn Stevens, 35, said: "I went flying down the road to the marina, I don't know what was going through my mind. It was all going so quick but really slowly at the same time.
"When I got there Sam was there on the ground and I was told he had been sick. I heard him crying and saw him breathing. It was the best thing in the world. That feeling you have when you have your kid is pretty amazing but to see them die and come back to life is awesome, you can't explain that."
But the drama was not over. It was crucial that Sam got to hospital quickly. An air ambulance was scrambled and Stevens praised the way the pilot managed to land in the strong winds. "The helicopter pilot had one shot to land," he said.
The pilot managed it and the child was taken to Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton, where he is doing well.
Stevens said doctors were astounded at how Sam had recovered and they expected him to be sent home within the next few days. "He is brilliant, almost back to full recovery, which is pretty amazing.
"Kate is there with him and I think he is more annoyed at having a load of tubes in him and not being able to breast feed than being actually ill. I'm feeling brilliant right now, overwhelmed. It's pure euphoria."