A tourist from Quebec visiting Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia has a young local man to thank for saving her life, after he pulled her to shore with a life preserver when she fell into the frigid ocean.

The 30-year-old woman was on a bus tour from Montreal with her husband when she was swept away by a wave after venturing too close to the water near the popular lighthouse tourist attraction.

Coulton Brown, 19, of Tantallon, N.S. was unloading stock from a truck behind the restaurant he works at when he heard cries for help. At first he didn't know what was happening, until running to the scene, he saw some co-workers trying to throw a life-preserver to the woman. But they couldn't reach her.

"A professional swimmer died here. This lady was extremely lucky she kept calm and was able to get in," Brown told CTV Atlantic.

He said the woman was about five metres from shore and was trying to swim to shore, but the large waves prevented her from doing so.

Brown said the nearby rocks were crowded with onlookers as he walked out onto a partially submerged rock until the water reached his waist. He braced himself against some other rocks to prevent being swept to sea.

"It was cold enough, but at the time I really didn't notice and I really didn't care," said Brown.

"Each time a wave came in, I was able to pull her in further, until I was able to grab her, At one point, a wave came in and she almost lost it," said Brown.

After about 30 minutes in the water the woman grabbed onto Brown's arm and was pulled to shore.

"She was quoted as saying 'That was fun!,'' Kent Thibault, another rescuer on scene, told CTV Atlantic.

Other than being exhausted and suffering some minor cuts the woman was fine. She continued on her visit of Peggy's Cove.

As for Brown being pegged a hero by locals, he said he's not so sure about that title. "There's been too much recognition for me in that sense. I'd rather just keep working as though nothing happened."

The area's rocks are known for their potential danger because of rogue waves that often crash over them.

Despite warning signs about the danger, visitors are known to venture too close to the water's edge, and many have drowned in the past after being washed away.

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl and files from Canadian Press