A New Zealand fisherman has plucked a toddler from the ocean in a "miraculous" rescue after thinking he was watching a doll float past.

Gus Hutt was at the beach checking his fishing lines at about 7:15 a.m. on Oct. 26 when he spotted the 18-month-old boy. He told the Whakatane Beacon newspaper that the face looked like porcelain and he thought it was a doll until he heard a squeak and realized with shock that the toddler was still alive.

The boy had escaped from his parent's tent after the family had camped at Matata Beach on the North Island.

Murphy's Holiday Camp co-owner Rebecca Salter told The Associated Press that the rescue was "miraculous and fateful" after Hutt had decided to fish at a different spot than usual.

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