Princes Bridge, Melbourne.

A 27-year-old Irish tourist who drowned in Melbourne after trying to swim across the Yarra River has been named.

Witnesses said he dived into the river near Federation Square with a friend at about 9pm and was attempting to swim from one side to the other when he got into trouble.

He has been named as Keith Flower from Clondalkin, Dublin.

Mr Flower’s body was located in about two metres of water near the Princes Bridge around 12.30am on February 22.

Restaurant waiter, Dave Brearley, 22, has been hailed a hero after saving the life of the other man.

Mr Brearley, originally from Manchester, had been working at the Riverland Bar on the Yarra on the night when customers told him the two men were planning to jump.

He said he walked down the river and saw two guys who were quite a way away, then heard a shout for help.

“I asked him if he was okay, and I didn’t get a reply. I heard him scream for help again so I dived in, and swam over as fast as I could. Unfortunately I only saw one guy there.

“By the time I got to the other side, he said his friend was in there. A few other guys jumped in to help him, but were obviously unsuccessful.”

Mr Brearley, who had only been in the country for about four months, said he had been scared about jumping in but felt that he had no choice when he heard the screaming.

Police divers discovered the body of the second man a short time later.

The rescued man suffered hypothermia and was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Two other friends who also tried to help the men suffered hypothermia.

:: Remembered

A former employer of Mr Flower, one of the owners of the Longroom bar and restaurant in Auckland New Zealand, Richard Bagnall, said Mr Flower was like “a modern day Bob Dylan”.

“He loved poetry and playing guitar, he was full of energy, always smiling and happy to say hello to anybody, everyone had time for him,” Mr Bagnall told the Irish Echo.

“He was a guy that a lot of people looked to as a benchmark of what to do in his profession, and he was respected by all the staff and customers alike he was one of the best employees we ever had.”

Mr Bagnall said Mr Flower had been in Australia on a working holiday visa and had been enjoying travelling around the country.

“Keith was with our establishment for over a year, but Australia was part of his bigger plan. He was quite intelligent and very well spoken; he enjoyed socialising with the staff and kept in touch on Facebook when he left.

“The staff here are very upset. Keith was just one of those guys you can never forget,” added Mr Bagnall.