A 13-year-old boy has been hailed as a hero for swimming for four hours to go get help after his family were swept out to sea off Australia’s south-west coast.
The boy, his mother and two younger siblings had been using inflatable paddleboards and a kayak at Geographe Bay on Friday when strong winds pushed them offshore. The bay lies near the small coastal community of Quindalup, about 250km south of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.
Police said the teenager initially tried to paddle back to land in his kayak, but it began taking on water. He then abandoned the vessel and swam the remaining distance to shore, eventually reaching land and alerting authorities.
His actions triggered a large search-and-rescue operation involving Western Australia Water Police, volunteer marine rescue crews, and the state’s rescue helicopter.
The Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group – an organisation that provides emergency maritime response, including search and rescue – praised the boy’s endurance. “The bravery, strength and courage shown by this family were extraordinary, especially the young fella who swam 4km to raise the alarm,” it said.
The group’s commander, Paul Bresland, described the effort as “superhuman”.
Speaking to ABC News, he said: “He swam in, he reckons, the first two hours with a life jacket on. 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.”
The boy also provided rescuers with a detailed description of the colour of the kayak and paddleboards, which Mr Bresland said was crucial to the search. “Within an hour, we found the kayak,” he said.
At about 8.30pm, the rescue helicopter located the boy’s 47-year-old mother, his 12-year-old brother and 8-year-old sister clinging to a paddleboard roughly 14km offshore. A volunteer marine rescue vessel was sent to their position and all three were brought safely back to shore.
Police said the trio had been in the water for several hours in difficult conditions. Mr Bresland said the mother had managed to keep the children together despite exhaustion.
“Physically, she just said, ‘I’m struggling, I can’t,’ but she just said they’re looking her in the eye, and she just kept going and kept them together,” he said, reported ABC News.
South West police inspector James Bradley said the incident showed how quickly conditions at sea could change.
“Thankfully, all three people were wearing life jackets, which contributed to their survival,” he said, reported the Guardian. “The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough – his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.”
The family were assessed by St John WA paramedics and taken to Busselton Health Campus for checks. They were later discharged and returned to thank the marine rescue volunteers involved, according to the ABC.
