After reaching the shore, Austin ran 2 km
Austin set out to swim in the sea to get help. At that time, the family thought the shore wasn’t too far, but as Austin swam further, the mother and the other children drifted further out into the sea. Soon, they couldn’t even see Austin.
For the next two hours, they prayed, hummed songs, and thought good things despite fear. Austin said he was thinking about his mother, brother, sister, friends, and his girlfriend. When their feet hit the ground, they couldn’t believe they had reached the edge.
It got dark, and the waves grew stronger around 6 pm. Meanwhile, Austin kept swimming and, after about 4 km, somehow reached the shore. He said that while swimming, he was only thinking about his mother and siblings. After reaching the shore, he ran 2 km to a phone and called emergency services around 6 PM.
After making the call, he fainted from exhaustion and was taken to the hospital. At that time, he didn’t know if his mother and siblings were alive or not.
In the sea, the mother and children were trapped amidst darkness, cold, and high waves. Joanne said that they had started to feel that Austin probably hadn’t survived, and no help was coming now.
Children fell into the water before the rescue
After a long time, the rescue team found the family about 14 kilometers out at sea. At that time, the children had fallen into the water in a big wave. Joan heard Grace’s scream, but Beau’s voice was not audible. Later, rescuers also found him.
When Austin was informed at the hospital that his mother and siblings had been found safe, the doctors and police present there rejoiced. Austin said he doesn’t consider himself a hero and he just did what needed to be done.
Police said that due to the courage and bravery of this 13-year-old boy, his mother and siblings’ lives were saved.
Austin is walking with crutches
Austin said the waves were huge. I just kept thinking, ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.’ Eventually, I reached the shore and collapsed there. After reaching the shore, around 6 PM, I informed the police and the rescue team.
The mother and two young children were in the sea for about 10 hours. Police Inspector James Bradley said – The 13-year-old boy should be commended. His courage saved the lives of his mother and siblings.
Austin stated that he had learned to swim since he was four years old. He had also attended water safety classes for children. However, before this, even swimming 350 meters without stopping seemed quite difficult for him.
A 13-year-old child can swim up to 1 km in the sea
According to most rules related to open water and triathlon, an average 13-year-old child can safely swim only about 0.3 to 1 kilometer in the sea. This estimate is not based on a single research paper, but on years of events, safety regulations, and the experience of coaches.
However, if a child is given special training, they can swim up to 2 to 5 kilometers. But such children are not considered average; rather, they are considered specially trained swimmers.
In some special cases, 13-year-old children have covered a distance of 10 kilometers or even more in the sea, but these are considered rare cases.
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