A ‘hero dad’ who is still missing after disappearing from a beach this weekend jumped into the water to save three children before being swept out to sea.
Dan Cojocea has been missing since Friday afternoon after swimming into a rip at Mary Ellis Wreck Beach, southwest of Port Lincoln, in South Australia.
He willingly allowed himself to be caught in the current to save his two sons and his best friend’s daughter, Riaan Grobler, who thought she was “going to die.”
Mr Cojocea’s 18-year-old wife was seen returning to the beach for the first time since his disappearance on Sunday morning.
Searches entered their fourth day of searching for the devoted father on Monday, with hopes dwindling by the hour.
The best friend of father-of-four Dan Cojocea (right), who disappeared in the surf and saved three children, Riaan Grobler (left), has described him as a ‘hero’ and a ‘gem’
Mr Cojocea had been on a family holiday and visited the beach with his boyfriend and their six children.
The families began to suspect something was wrong when the children seemed to be dragged further out to sea.
Mr Grobler said the children were in the crack for about 10 minutes before Mr Cojocea bravely dove into the water.
“He went in there without thinking and saved my daughter’s life… He’s a national hero. He is without a doubt my hero,” he said.
Mr. Grobler had run to the top of a nearby sand dune to get reception and called triple-zero for help when his buddy disappeared.
“I haven’t seen him since,” Mr. Grobler said.
In a Facebook post posted on Sunday, Mr Grobler said his “heart is broken”.
‘You are a hero. My hero. You saved the children, but not yourself,” he wrote.
Mr Cojocea bravely entered a rip at Mary Ellis Wreck Beach, south-west of Port Lincoln (pictured) to save his two sons and Mr Grobler’s daughter
His 18-year-old wife, Aline (pictured), returned to the beach for the first time on Sunday morning as search parties continued to look for her husband
He described the father-of-four as the ‘most beautiful husband and father’, who always had a smile on his face and was an ‘absolute gem’.
The incident happened as Mr. Cojocea’s 18-year-old wife, Alina, and two teenage daughters watched from the shoreline.
The three children were released from hospital on Saturday after being treated for hypothermia and minor injuries.
Many of his thirteen brothers and sisters have traveled from across the country to support his devastated family.
Search parties continue to focus on the coastline and not the water in an effort to find the missing father.
Search parties spend the fourth day searching for Mr Cojocea, concentrating their efforts along the coastline rather than the waters (pictured)