A 13-year-old child has shown great heroism by swimming for kilometers against huge waves to save his family, who were caught in a strong current and drifted away off the west coast of Australia.
Elchi.az reports that the family went to sea with a canoe and a sea mattress on Friday in the Geographe Bay region, located in the south of Western Australia. As a result of the strong wind, they drifted away from the shore.
According to the police, after the wind blew the inflatable devices off course, the 13-year-old teenager began to paddle towards the shore in order to call for help.
When his canoe started taking on water, the young man jumped into the water and swam approximately 4 kilometers. To move forward faster, he took off his life jacket after a while.
After a struggle that lasted approximately four hours, the child reached the shore and notified the authorities at around 18:00 in the evening, which led to the start of the rescue operation.
Based on the information he provided, a large-scale search was conducted near Quindalup Beach, and a 47-year-old mother and two children, aged 12 and 8, were found 14 kilometers off the coast.
The family members, who were spotted by the rescue helicopter and were waiting clinging to the sea mattress, were safely brought to shore by volunteer marine rescuers.
Paul Bresland, commander of the Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, called the young man’s effort “superhuman.”
Police representatives emphasized how quickly conditions can change at sea, adding that the mother and children survived thanks to wearing life jackets.
The family members, who were hospitalized and reported to be in good condition, visited the groups that rescued them after treatment and expressed their gratitude.
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