The rescue took place in Geographe Bay, Western Australia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
An ocean outing gone wrong could have ended tragically, if not for the efforts of a brave 13-year-old. After being swept out to sea with his family, the boy swam 2.5 miles through rough water to find help, as ABC News reports.
The rescue happened off the coast of Western Australia. On Friday evening, the boy and his family were on a holiday in Quindalup, roughly 150 miles south of Perth. The boy, his mother, and two siblings were paddleboarding and kayaking in Geographe Bay, when strong winds pushed them far offshore. Luckily, all four of them were wearing life jackets at the time, which South West Police Inspector James Bradley said “contributed to their survival.”
Facing fading light and rough conditions, the 13-year-old tried to paddle back to shore in the kayak, but it took on water in the rough seas. Undeterred, he continued to swim for four more hours until he eventually reached the shore.
“He swam in, he reckons, the first two hours with a life jacket on,” said Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland to ABC News. “And the brave fella thought he’s not going to make it with a life jacket on, so he ditched it, and he swam the next two hours without a life jacket.”
Once there, the boy called for help, which kicked off a multi-agency search operation. The boy’s detailed description of the color of the kayak and paddleboards aided rescuers and they were able to find the boat within an hour. The family was eventually found at 8:30 p.m., hanging on to a paddleboard around 8.5 miles offshore
The remaining three were pulled out of the water by a volunteer marine rescue boat and taken back to shore, where they were seen to by paramedics, then transferred to a hospital. Since then, they have been discharged.
