Hero San Clemente dad paralyzed after diving into the Pacific Ocean to save child caught in rip current

A Day at the Beach Turns Life-Changing

What was meant to be a carefree end-of-summer beach day in south San Clemente turned into a life-altering event for 42-year-old Josh Collette, a father of five who dove into the Pacific Ocean at Riviera Beach on Aug. 15 to help a child caught in a rip current.

Collette, who is paralyzed from the neck down after the accident, is now in the hospital as doctors work to determine the extent of his recovery. His family has established a GoFundMe to support mounting medical expenses and long-term therapy.

The incident unfolded quickly. According to his sister, Hillary Collette, speaking to KTLA, the child—believed to be around seven or eight years old—was caught in a rip current. The child's mother entered the water first to reach her child, but Collette ran past her and dove in. As he entered the water, he struck either a sandbar or rocks, suffering a severe injury.

The Rescue and Immediate Aftermath

Beachgoers rushed to Collette's aid and helped pull him from the water. He told his wife he believed he had broken his neck, and doctors later confirmed that he was paralyzed from the neck down. The child he attempted to save was safely brought out of the water before Collette was rescued.

Collette has been unable to speak, but has communicated by moving his lips. His family expects him to regain the ability to speak. A family update on Friday said it will take time for him to no longer need medicine, and a hospital picture was shared alongside the update.

The GoFundMe account created by relatives said: "Josh was hurt in an ocean accident on Sat Aug 15th he has a spinal cord injury." A family member wrote on the fundraiser: "The road ahead will be long, and the recovery will not be easy, we're holding on to hope." As of Sunday night, the fundraiser had raised nearly $110,000.

A Father's Words of Hope

In a social media video, Collette's wife Rose interpreted the words he mouthed from his hospital bed. "I need to update everyone, and tell everyone thank you. This is hard. It's bearable because I'm held up by your love," he said. "I only lose the 'dumb things like money, surfing and hobbies,' but keeps the important things: family and kids."

He grew up in Northern California, where he surfed at Santa Cruz and was on his school's swim team. He and his wife moved their family to San Clemente three years ago, where he ran a solar supply company and was the sole provider. Their five children are aged 18 to 9.

After hitting the sandbar, the mother of the child was next to Collette and immediately noticed something was wrong. She called for help and pulled him out of the water, and his wife administered CPR until lifeguards arrived. He mouthed to his wife "I need you to be my breath for me."

Community Support and Future Uncertain

The the accident, a rip current had shifted the sand and filled in an area that was previously deep. As Collette dove, his head hit the ocean floor, breaking his neck and damaging his spinal cord.

The Collette family has received help from family, friends, and church supporters with food and transporting the kids to school. Collette called the San Clemente community special and thanked everyone for their support, adding "I'm a fighter and I'll do everything I can." He also asked for a Slurpee and smiled.

The road ahead is long, but the family remains hopeful. "We've already seen so many [miracles] and thank everyone for the love, support, and prayers," another family message noted.