An off-duty officer with the Cocoa (FL) Beach Police Department is being hailed as a hero after he leaped into the surf to pull a young boy out of danger from a nearby shark in the water.

According to Fox News, the boy was "boogie-boarding" in the shallow surf as a shark was spotted swimming nearby.

Officer Adrian Kosicki was walking along the beach with his wife when they noticed the shark approaching the boy.

The agency said on Facebook, "Adrian made the decision to quickly enter the water and pull the boy from the surf as the shark began to get dangerously close, within only a couple of feet at its nearest distance."

The post continued, "We're certainly not marine biologists, educated and trained to differentiate between the various species of sharks, their respective feeding habits, and aggressiveness near swimmers. We just do what we do best—protect the public from harm.

The post concluded, "Thanks to Adrian, we’ll never know what that shark’s intentions were, and that little boy will forever have a pretty cool story to tell. Great job!"