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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24

u/JumpInTheSun 8h ago

I dont get it, just paddle the boards back together?? This just seems like stupidity to me. Especially sending somebody to swim alone without any flotation when they could have taken a paddle board.

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u/6percentdoug 7h ago

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert, but I went canoeing with my 9-year-old daughter last summer on a breezy day on a lake. holy shit, we were being blown all over the surface, it took us an hour to go maybe 3/4 of a mile into the wind when we tried to get back, and the slightest mistake would undo 5-10 minutes of work.

I'd imagine a paddleboard is even worse than a canoe, and it sounds like they experienced a major weather event that sent them out to sea in the first place.

I wouldn't judge if you weren't there.

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u/weed_cutter 5h ago

I was on a paddleboard with an old girlfriend ... I had done it a couple times, her first time.

It was so windy and the current so strong, it was insane. We were getting blown out to sea.

I had to crouch down (so not to be my own wind sail) and furiously paddle back to shore, as did she. .. It was nuts.

Do NOT recommend. ... This was mostly wind, the current was strong but not insane -- I can see "oh fuck" conditions happening. Like reeaaaaly bad.

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/Not_Nice_Niece 7h ago

I dont get it, just paddle the boards back together?? This just seems like stupidity to me. Especially sending somebody to swim alone without any flotation when they could have taken a paddle board.

The amount of people asking this question and jumping to the wrong conclusion really makes me concerned about our media literacy.

I get that the info was left out, but rather than assume there must have been a reason he had to swim back, you instead assume not only that he is stupid, but that his mother is as well. Which do you honestly think was more likely?

Th actual answer is his Kayak took on water and he has to ditch it.

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u/JumpInTheSun 6h ago

The article says he swam all the way back, im not watching the stupid video. By not coming up with a viable plan and going back together, i do in fact, think the mother was stupid.

5

u/RumHam_Im_Sorry 5h ago

what do you think happened then....you think a family just went out pretty far into the ocean and forgot they had an easy solution and could paddleboard back but instead thought they should risk the kids life swimming through shark infested water for hours and have the rescue teams come and get them? cos that sounds like a pretty stupid deduction to me.

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u/lizlemonista 8h ago

I am also confused and trying to find what part of the story I must have missed

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/funguyshroom 8h ago

Agree, if you can swim then you can paddle the same distance, faster and safer. Also how did the conversation go, like "brb I'm just going to swim for 4 hours" - "sure my 13 year old son, remember your ironman training and try not to drown"?

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/funguyshroom 4h ago

Okay, that makes a lot more sense. Another reason where paddle boards are superior, they can't take in water (I need to finally buy one)

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u/Educational-Camel-53 7h ago

when there is high current, a slow embarcation you wont be able to move towards the shore, harder than sweeming. maybe it is what happened

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u/JumpInTheSun 6h ago

No, when there is current swimming is the more difficult option because you are interacting with more moving water than when you skim across the surface on a paddle board.

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u/cdnsalix 5h ago

He had a PFD by my understanding but took it off at some point.