The locally known swimming skills of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa are being praised again after he assisted the rescue of two young women last weekend.

Mr de Sousa was at a beach in Portugal’s Algarve region when the two women in the water were swept by currents after their kayak capsized.

The President was filmed helping the pair with life guards.

“They were dragged away from another beach to this beach, the boat turned over and they swallowed a lot of water and they couldn’t turn the boat up, nor swim, nor get back onto the boat, the current was very strong,” he told reporters on the beach.

“So, it was possible to push them and help them get away from the current.”

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Mr de Sousa is on a work holiday tour, visiting all Portuguese regions during summertime to show his support for the tourism sector, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the rescue, the President said he hoped the pair would be more careful the next time they entered the water.

“It was a big scare for them, they swallowed a lot of water,” he said.

“Fortunately, me and another patriot helped them.

“To get out the kayak and then come to shore holding onto the kayak, at their age – they are girls – is something hard to do.”

-ABC