Heidi Klum calls heroic ocean rescue ‘what any mother would do’

Superhero Heidi Klum? The supermodel was reluctant on Wednesday to make a big deal out of her recent exploits in Hawaii, where she helped save her 7-year-old son and two nannies from a ferocious riptide.

“These photos taken recently look much worse than it really was that day,” Klum told People. “I did what any mother would do.”

The photos, some of which can be seen in the video above, show Klum plunging into the roiling surf, leading her son away from the waves and pulling one of the nannies out of the water.

“Henry swam out of it,” the “Project Runway” host told the mag. “I grabbed him at the shore. The nannies were the ones in much deeper trouble.”

She said previously to Us Weekly that her son was a strong swimmer who was able to get back to shore by himself.

“We got pulled into the ocean by a big wave, she told Us in a statement. “Of course, as a mother, I was very scared for my child and everyone else in the water.”

Still, as Klum and her bodyguard boyfriend Martin Kristen struggled with the rescue, she was struck by one thing, telling People: “The family was surprised that we were being photographed and no one would come help us.”

Klum and her family returned safely to the mainland Monday, flying in to LAX. Wednesday found her enjoying California Adventure, according to a picture on her Twitter feed.

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PHOTOS: Celebrity portraits by The Times