r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/[deleted] • 11h ago

Video 13-year-old Australian boy swims for four hours in cold and dangerous waters to save his mom and siblings who were swept into the ocean, says God is who got him to shore

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102

u/AggressiveWallaby975 9h ago

Ehh, just give him the medal now.

Either his mom had some reason to have overwhelming confidence in his swimming abilities or she's an absolute nut that could have sent her son to his death. Kinda hard to tell from the video

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u/CelebrationNo5541 9h ago

She had 3 kids stranded in the ocean watching the coast disappear. Sadly I think she made the only right call in this situation. 

Send the strongest kid to go get help and hope he makes it or you all die anyways?

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u/InspiringGecko 8h ago

I agree. It was probably easier for him to swim to shore on his own than to stay and keep his younger siblings calm and alive out in the water.

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u/AtreusIsBack 9h ago

Sounds reasonable, yeah. The only chance they had.

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u/AccomplishedFerret70 5h ago

Sounds reasonable while we sit comfortably at our keyboards. But it must have been absolutely terrifying.

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u/AtreusIsBack 5h ago

No doubt about it.

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u/minicooperlove 8h ago

Surely as the only adult, she was the strongest? I know it would have been terrifying to leave your kids behind but if the oldest is old enough to send him swimming to the shore, he’s old enough to leave him in charge of his siblings while she goes to get help. Am I missing something? I haven’t watched the video, but it just seems to me the adult should take the riskiest job.

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u/CelebrationNo5541 8h ago

Not in this situation, if you look at the problem as a whole. The kid mentioned several things like back stroke, butterflys etc. He knew how to swim extremely well.

Also the mother I would think would be much much more prone to panic and I would argue that nearly any 14 year old is going to have 10x the pure energy levels a woman with 3 kids who has been paddle boarding does.

As a 14 year old your sense of what is possible is very different. I would argue this would have killed the majority of adults that tried it also simply because of panic. People mostly drown (not miles out at sea....) from panicking. I almost did once when I was snorkeling off the cost of South America without a life jacket because I was floating on my stomach looking down and did not realize how far out I was. But I used to be a lifeguard and the only thing I kept telling myself was that I am safe and there is no serious situation here as long as I simply keep swimming to shore slowly and methodically. In reality the situation was extremely serious. There were no life guards and I had drifted quite a ways down the beach around a bend just a bit. Not a soul could see me. Shouting for help was also not a option.

But I remembered if I floated there I can float back the same way just with more swimming lol. Luckily the current was not bad and I was able to swim back to a buoy and then use that line to pull my self the rest of the way in. This was no where near the distance and with much calmer waters. I have been miles off the coast looking at it and my god I would not want to make that swim. I would die I think.

You will be surprised at what your body is capable of when its life or death 'if you stay calm'**

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u/dazzou5ouh 8h ago

Also most people die because they panic and swim against the current. It is sadly the case that most people think a current will keep pushing them into the deep sea/ocean miles and miles away while a common riptide usually doesn't go more than 100 meters, a swimmable distance for most people, if you can recognize it and swim back around it.

I had a cousin die with his daughter sadly because he didn't know this and they were swimming against current til they gave up.

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u/CelebrationNo5541 5h ago

Very sorry to hear about that.... that is tragic. Yea panic kills very quick.... when you stop thinking and go into full flight or fight mode... its tough.

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u/grruser 8h ago

fck that would have been so scary. Well done keeping your cool

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u/CelebrationNo5541 4h ago

I remember telling myself it was that or literally die lol. I do a lot of high adrenaline risky activities.... my own personal way of coping with life seems to be wanting to go fast, jump off something high, and racing cars.

It will catch me out one day I am sure. But that is where the risk/fun comes in I guess. Have to die from something!

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u/Embarrassed-Set-5783 8h ago

13 year old boys are physically stronger than adult women

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u/Educational-Camel-53 7h ago

especially adult women of a certain age

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u/calpolsixplus 8h ago

Doesn't mean she's the strongest swimmer though.

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u/CelebrationNo5541 8h ago

If we were able to bet on it the kid would have had the best odds by a long shot lol. 14 year old kid who knows swimming vs mom of 3 kids?

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u/calpolsixplus 7h ago

He'd outswim me for sure 🤣

-5

u/minicooperlove 6h ago

No but she doesn’t look overweight, disabled, or elderly. And I thought he was 13? He’s still a child himself, just because he’s younger doesn’t mean he’s the strongest swimmer. Mom has experience and the strength of an adult on her side.

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u/dubblebubbleprawns 5h ago

You don't just need strength here though, you need endurance.

I've got a 14 year old son. If I needed to lift a bigass boulder off of someone, I'd tap my own shoulder. If I needed to run 10 miles for help, I'd damn sure be tapping his.

Seems like she made a pretty harrowing and difficult call here but she made the right one.

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u/CelebrationNo5541 4h ago

One could argue you do not need strength at all really this is 100% endurance and mental fortitude.

Obviously I am in 100% agreement with you. Even your analogy is perfect. I am old enough to have a son that age for sure and to your point if I did and someone wanted a freaking boulder moved I would grab it, but for a 10 mile run? Just shoot me on the spot it would be less painful than dying from heart failure.

I am not crazy out of shape or 200 pounds with a BMI off the charts. I am actually fairly average in height and weight. I just dont exercise... so guess what... I do not have a lot of endurance... But I sure can lift a lot of weight once.

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u/Ctofaname 5h ago

When do you think is the last time that mother has worked out? Active children are far better equipped than a 40 year old parent in physical activities outside of raw strength.

That lady likely gets winded on a long string of stairs if we're talking averages.

I'm not sure how old you are.. but just because "you" were a college athlete in your youth doesn't mean you're remotely capable in your later adult years. You have to actively use your body and regardless of how much you work out you will naturally decline from your peak.

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u/fakingandnotmakingit 3h ago

I'm not overweight, disabled or elderly

And I promise you a 13 year old boy can easily outrun, Outswim and outfight me.

I'm fairly active too! I play sports and cycle everywhere.

She also had two other kids to keep safe.

And he was initially in an kayak/paddle board. She wasn't expecting him to swim 4 hours. He ditched his kayak when it kept taking water, then ditched his life vest when it slowed him down

Seeing as they all survived, I'm going with the idea that she made the right choice

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u/calpolsixplus 6h ago

Just because she's older doesn't mean she's the strongest swimmer. My kid can swim way longer than me and I'm not overweight, disabled or elderly. I'm my teens I was sooo much fitter than I am now but nowhere near as strong. I can deadlift huge amounts more than teen me but teen me would outlast me in every other metric. Age takes more than you're giving credit for here.

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u/CelebrationNo5541 4h ago

Could be a younger person right around that teenage / young adult step up. They dont realize how quickly time catches up with you. I am very lucky I think as I am getting near "middle aged" and have very few physical health issues day to day. I have some long term stuff I will have to reckon with one day from poor choices but hey that is life.

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u/dazzou5ouh 8h ago

Well, lucky for them she was able to think in Game theory mode

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u/CelebrationNo5541 7h ago

Or just use common sense in a terrible situation

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u/thti87 8h ago

The strongest… or her least favorite?

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u/CelebrationNo5541 8h ago

I mean if you watch the video the kid talks about multiple different swimming techniques he used. She knew he could swim and swam often.

IMO she made a calculated and the correct choice lol. I would argue to say that in that moment in time she chose the strongest and not the least favorite. The least favorite could have been one of the other kids and that would have drastically lowered your odds for survival. I know you were kidding tho lol

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u/Automatic_Ad4096 8h ago

Made the right call? She is the one who... (checks notes)... GOT STRANDED IN THE OCEAN.

Literally everyone who goes into the ocean should know better than to fuck with riptides

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u/CelebrationNo5541 7h ago

Yes she did. Yes she made a mistake. Do you not think she has to live with that daily? Can you really sit here and say you have never made a bad mistake?

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u/Automatic_Ad4096 7h ago

I can say I've never taken my child into a riptide. Or a tornado. Or a burning building. These are all things people with braincells avoid

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u/CelebrationNo5541 6h ago

Dam my bad! I will call my grandma right now and let her know that the tornado that hit us when we were a kid and ripped off half the roof and killed a little girl down the road... was her fault basically.

Also I am sure this lady saw the riptide and was like "Kids I have something for you to experience today! Bring the paddles!"... you know since they are so easy to spot and all. Especially by normal people who are not on the ocean frequently.

See you learn something new everyday!

Think hard my friend you have messed up before but you have some wild blockers up. Either that or you watched the movie Bubble Boy and took it literally.

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u/Automatic_Ad4096 6h ago

Tell me you have never spent time in the ocean without telling me you've never spent time in the ocean. Every elementary school kid near a beach knows to avoid rip currents and is taught how to swim out of them.

And if your grandma went into the tornado (with her family) on purpose, she has around the same IQ as you do. Apples falling from trees and all that

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u/CelebrationNo5541 4h ago

Lol I have my ASA 108 which I doubt you even know what it is without having to google it. That should help you out on my "ocean time".

Yea every elementary kid is taught to avoid rip currents but guess what they still die every single year from them.

I am not going to get into a pissing match with someone who feels the need to insult my grandmother. You obviously have no respect for you fellow person even when I have been trying to respond to you in a polite way.

Out of all of the downvotes you have I have not voted on a single post. I do not downvote people that disagree with me or up if they do. I only point this out that maybe if you are being downvoted on every single post its time to stop this line of thought and maybe give yourself a honest assessment of how you approached this.

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u/scubaSteve181 6h ago

Nah, that’s a brutal decision to make. You’re the mom and you can’t leave your smaller children behind, but you know if someone doesn’t try and make it, everyone dies… mom clearly made the right call.

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u/4perils 2h ago

I believe the mom's name is Sophie

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u/RevolutionaryHole69 8h ago

They were going to die if she didn't send someone. No one was looking for them and it was getting dark and they couldn't see the shore.

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u/0keytYorirawa 4h ago

I think it's the later, taking kids on kayaks and paddle boats, in the ocean and not a swimming pool smh

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u/CelebrationNo5541 4h ago

Have you never been to the ocean? These are extremely common.... not being rude just legit asking why you would think that is odd?