A PROFESSIONAL clown yesterday risked his life to save a man from drowning at Surfers Paradise.

The clown, Warren Brophy, 51, was struggling in a strong rip about 1pm when he noticed a man nearby, believed to be Indian, sink below the waves.

media_camera Warren Brophy posted a photo on Facebook with the man he saved at Surfers Paradise.

Mr Brophy, a veteran street performer, dived under the water and dragged the young man to safety.

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“I was really struggling but I couldn’t let some poor bloke drown,” he said.

“The lifesavers were there to help me by the time I touched sand and I collapsed as soon as I got to shore.

“The man’s family came up and hugged me and thanked me.

“They couldn’t speak much English but I could tell how thankful they were. I never even got the bloke’s name.”

Mr Brophy, from Victoria, was taking a break from competing in the Australian Street Entertainment Championships with his son at Surfers Paradise when the incident happened.

“I run the Brophy Brothers Circus and my son does the Wheel of Steel here in Surfers Paradise,” he said.

“I’ve been entertaining since I was a small child but I haven’t had any kind of surf training at all.

“I guess it shows that even an ordinary person can make a difference.

“It felt great doing something nice on Easter.”

The survivor showed his thanks by posing in a photo which Mr Brophy posted on social media last night.

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Originally published as How this clown saved man’s life