Two boys were saved from a watery grave yesterday by the actions of a quick-thinking farmer.

Stuart Forbes and his house guest Keith Holmon, both 13, had gone swimming in Hungry Bay with their paddling boards when disaster struck.

Stuart told The Royal Gazette last night that he and Keith were swimming near the bay's entrance when "two massive waves'' rolled in and they were pulled out to sea in the undertow.

Keith lost his board and both boys were thrown against the reefs in the rough surf being caused by nearby Hurricane Edouard.

During the confusion Keith managed to grab hold of Stuart's board and they began screaming for help.

Meanwhile, self-employed farmer Roland Hill Jr., 37, had gone down to the bay to see a friend who had been fishing earlier in the morning when he said he heard their screams.

"I ran down to the bay where I saw the two children -- they looked about 12 or 13 years old -- being pulled out to sea.'' While his companion, Barry Bridges, went to grab a life raft and rope, Mr.

Hill said he could see one of the boys "was not going to make it''.

"He didn't have anything left in him.'' continued Mr. Hill. "I mean, I'm a very good swimmer and after fighting through those waves I was tired.'' Mr. Hill explained the very narrow entrance to the bay meant that after waves rolled in, the water was sucked very forcefully through the gap back into the open sea.

He said the boys were 60 feet from the shore but were being brought closer by another set of waves which was when he threw off his clothes and dived in the stormy water.

He swam out and said that when they saw he had come to rescue them they tried to climb onto him but he had to push them away.

Mr. Hill said he could see Keith was exhausted from trying to fight the waves and stay afloat so he knew he only had the one chance to save him.

If the waves had pulled them further out to sea, he added, Keith would have never come back alive.

After getting them "organised'' he swam sideways to the current and managed to get the boys to shore where Keith collapsed.

And hours after the incident happened, Mr. Hill said his muscles were stiffening up after the hard swim and his foot was swollen from when it struck a rock.

He added that if the event had taken place 15 minutes later it could have been a very different ending to the story as he would have left the area by that time.

"They were lucky. The other people in the area were older than me and I don't think they would have been able to go out and get them.'' "They were lucky that someone was around,'' neighbour Sherry Bridges agreed.

"If there was not, they would have been dead.'' Both boys were cut from striking the reefs in the surf and Keith had a very big bump on his head and was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

He was later released and said last night that while he was tired he was feeling better.

Keith is visiting the Island with his parents and had been due to return home to Surrey, England on Tuesday but the family decided to stay on longer because they were having so much fun.