13-year-old Australian boy makes ‘superhuman’ swim to save stranded family

Rescue services in Western Australia said the boy swam for four hours to shore — two while wearing a lifejacket, and two without.

A 13-year-old Australian boy is being praised for completing a heroic four-hour swim to save his mother and siblings from being swept out to sea in Western Australia, state police said in a statement on Monday.

The family was on vacation in Quindalup, on Geographe Bay, about 250 kilometres south of Perth, on Friday, when strong winds blew their inflatable paddleboards and a kayak offshore.

The boy attempted to paddle back to shore in his kayak before it began taking on water, so he swam four hours back to the beach in fading daylight, where he alerted authorities that his two siblings and mother were stranded.

Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the boy’s 47-year-old mother, 12-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister were found at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, clinging to a paddleboard about 14 kilometres offshore.

Bresland said the boy’s efforts were “superhuman.”

“He swam in, he reckons, the first two hours with a life jacket on,” he said.

“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,” Bresland told the Australian outlet.

Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, which aided in the rescue effort, told the BBC, “The bravery, strength and courage shown by this family were extraordinary, especially the young fella who swam four kilometres to raise the alarm.”