Seconds later, Stu was fighting for his life on the bottom of the ocean.

The 18-year-old former Bendigo teen hit his head on a sandbar, breaking his neck and paralysing him from the shoulders down.

According to his friends and family, he remembers being underwater and unable to move as the water entered his lungs.

It was in that moment that the once fit, active young man realised his life had changed forever.

A passionate sportsman, Stu represented Bendigo in soccer and athletics.

He also grew into a fanatical BMX rider and wanted to open a store specialising in all things BMX.

He moved to Perth to pursue those dreams.

For the past week Stu has been confined to a hospital bed at the Royal Perth Hospital, able to do little more than breathe.

He has regained slight movement in his left shoulder and arm, but the swelling around his spine is still too severe and surgeons are yet to operate.

“His vital signs are stable, but there is no change in relation to his paralysis,” Stu’s father Robert Timms said.

“Unfortunately, it’s almost guaranteed he will be paralysed from the shoulders down, no matter what happens with the surgery.

“The hardest thing is, it hasn’t affected him mentally or intellectually at all . . . he’s basically trapped inside a body that won’t work, it must be absolute torture.”

Mr Timms and his wife Pamela have barely left their son’s side and Stu’s younger brother Fraser, 16, and two of his mates also flew to Perth as soon as they heard about the accident.

His older brother Lyall, 21, hopes to fly to Perth soon.

“He came over here (Perth) to make a new start,” Mr Timms said.

“He’d picked up a job, had great accommodation, great mates, all that’s just been ripped away.”

The Timms family will spend Christmas by Stu’s side and hope to bring him back to Bendigo in the new year after his surgery.

Stu’s family and friends have set up a web page - http://stutimms.com - detailing his progress and so far Mr Timms says the support has been overwhelming.

“We just want him to know that people are thinking of him and care about him.”

A Stu Timms Trust Account has also been set up to collect funds to buy the things necessary for Stu to rebuild his life.

Donations can be made at any Bendigo Bank Branch.