A man who died while saving a seven-year-old girl after she was caught up in a tidal rip in far north NSW has been hailed a hero.
Ryan Martin, 30, died just minutes after saving the life of a young girl at Fingal Head, south of Coolangatta on Friday.
He was one of a number of people who went to the girl's aid.
She was carried safely to shore but moments later Mr Martin and a 21-year-old man began to struggle against the rough current.
Chief Inspector Mick Dempsey said surf lifesavers pulled the pair from the water but were unable to revive Mr Martin, from Palm Beach in Queensland.
The 21-year-old man and young girl were both taken to Tweed Heads hospital and have since been released.
Chief Insp Dempsey said while he urged people to only swim at patrolled beaches, there was no way to stop a person risking their lives trying to assist a child.
He said Mr Martin did not know the girl, he just saw her in trouble and went to help.
"I just think it's very heroic of somebody to put themselves in danger to assist other people," he told AAP.
"To tell the truth he probably didn't even think of it, he just acted on instinct, but it's certainly heroic to put yourself in danger to save somebody else."
Chief Insp Dempsey said he had spoken to Mr Martin's mother who was "quite distraught".
His girlfriend Zoe Bell has been left "broken" by the tragedy, which she witnessed from the beach.
She posted a photo of the pair on Facebook, with the caption "I love you, always. Rest in Peace honey".
Friend Tanya Westthorp said: "He sacrificed himself to save the life of a young girl. The act of a true hero".
Mr Martin is the second person to die at Fingal Head in similar circumstances in recent months.
New Zealand national Aggie Auelua, 26, drowned in October while saving a nine-year-old boy who had been swept off rocks at the headland.
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