This is the dramatic moment a drowning man is rescued from the sea when the owner of a nearby tea shop jumps into the water to save him.

The holidaymaker had apparently fallen from the rocks into the sea while on holiday in the coastal province of Guangdong, into the South China Sea on November 3.

As people watched helplessly from the shore, the brave owner of a nearby tea shop grabbed a life ring and jumped into the sea, where he braved huge waves to reach the drowning man.

Once there, he handed over the ring for the man to keep afloat and then swam with him to shore, bringing him to safety and saving his life.

Eyewitnesses said that the cold weather and tall waves were threatening to kill the man that was stuck and the tea shop owner undoubtedly saved his life.