For a Jalisco family on holiday in Nayarit, Sunday will not be a Father’s Day to remember. A father drowned saving his son from strong ocean currents yesterday morning at Chacala beach in Compostela.

The 13-year-old entered the water at around 8:00 a.m. but shouted for help as he was dragged away by the current shortly after.

His father, José Guadalupe Cruz, showed no hesitation and swam out to attempt his rescue, according to Nayarit officials.

However, the strength of the current dragged them both farther out and only after some anxious moments did Cruz manage to get his son onto dry land. But having spent all of his energy in the rescue, he was pulled down by the current.

Several onlookers tried to help Cruz, and rescue workers managed to pull him out of the water. Civil Protection officers attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but he did not respond and was declared dead at the scene.

Officers who interviewed the son confirmed that Cruz’s last words were, “Hang on so we can get out together.”

With reports from Cultura Colectiva and Reforma