The boy was paddling in the surf at Westwood Beach yesterday when he was swept about 200m out to sea.
The family had been walking ponies on the beach while the boy paddled ‘‘just over his knees'' in the surf nearby.
His mother swam out to the boy, but was quickly caught herself, prompting family friend Hayley McHutcheon to go in too.
‘‘He wasn't that far out. He was just paddling and I think he got pulled [out],'' Mrs McHutcheon said.
‘‘[The rip] was pretty strong. I think we were all struggling.
‘‘Everybody's here, so it's lucky.''
The mother managed to grab her son and eventually get back to the beach in a rescue that lasted about half an hour.
Mrs McHutcheon managed to get back to the beach a short time later. She said the current was really strong and she was most worried when she was unable to see the struggling boy.
There was no hesitation in diving in after the mother and son.
‘‘I just went and did it,'' she said.
Witness Dave Hiom, who was riding a horse on the beach, said the trio were very lucky, especially Mrs McHutcheon.
‘‘One woman there got lost [but] she finally got back herself,'' he said.
‘‘I thought we were going to lose somebody.''
Another woman riding with Mr Hiom rang emergency services on his phone.
‘‘I got one of the ladies to ring.
‘‘I kept on saying, ‘tell them to hurry up' ... ‘she's going to be dead, she's going to be dead'.''
The two women looked ‘‘completely shattered'' when they got back to the beach, he said.
St John Coastal Otago area manager Doug Third told the Otago Daily Times at the scene, an ambulance transported two patients to Dunedin Hospital but their condition was not life-threatening.
Sergeant Jared Kirk, of Dunedin, said the boy would be checked at Dunedin Hospital.
‘‘It appears he's swallowed a bit of water,'' he said.
Sgt Kirk said it was a good outcome for all involved.
‘‘This is a pretty dangerous bit of water and they [rips] are pretty hard to see.''
