'I had my back turned for a few seconds, but my son still almost drowned'

"I just dove right in, grabbed after him," the hero dad remembers about his one-year-old son's near-drowning.

Heart-stopping footage has captured just how quickly a child can drown in a backyard pool.

The footage, shared to Instagram by Hemet Fire Fighters, shows a young boy standing next to a pool and taking off his floatation device.

He then walks to the edge of the pool, sits himself down, and jumps in before sinking straight towards the bottom.

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Luckily, the child’s father Zack Petite bolts into view and quickly pulls his son Cole out of the water and places him safely away from the pool edge.

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One-year-old Cole just seconds before he jumps into the backyard pool and sinks to the bottom. Picture: Instagram/hemetfirefighters2342

"Dad only had his back turned for a few seconds"

In the Instagram post, Hemet Fire Fighters reveal Zack is one of their own, and said it was a “sobering reminder that a child drowning can happen to anyone at any time in a matter of seconds”.

“Even though both parents took all the proper precautions, including a gate around the pool and an appropriate floatation device, the boy still managed to get in the water,” they said.

“Dad only had his back turned for a few seconds. Thankfully he quickly recognised what occurred and was able to save his son.

“Remember, children drown without a sound, please watch the water.”

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Firefighter Zach Petite with his wife Jessica and one-year-old son Cole. Picture: Inside Edition

"I just dove right in, grabbed after him"

Zack told Inside Edition Cole loves the water, and wanted to join his older sister Audrey in the pool at their home near Palm Springs, California.

“I looked over and I can’t see my son, and I noticed he’s sinking into the bottom of the pool,” Zack said.

“I just dove right in, grabbed after him. If I wasn’t within arm’s reach, it might have been too late for me to go in and go after him and grab him.”

Cole’s mum Jessica said she was inside the house when the incident occurred.

“All I heard from inside was the screaming, and then the crying,” she told Inside Edition.

“It was a very emotional moment.”

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Zach quickly jumped to action and saved his son before he was harmed. Picture: Instagram/hemetfirefighters2342

"It can happen to anyone"

Hemet Fire Department chief Eddie Sell told ABC7 if a near-drowning incident could happen to Zack, it could “happen to anyone”.

“Zack was right there. He was literally within arm’s reach,” Eddie said.

“He followed all the rules, he took all of the proper precautions, that is really the reason why his son lived.

“We can’t stress it enough, it happened to engineer Petite and it can happen to anyone. Seconds do count.”

Zack had a simple message for other parents in the aftermath of his son’s scare.

“Keep an eye on your kids this summer when they’re out playing near any source of water.”

Originally published as 'I had my back turned for a few seconds, but my son still almost drowned'