A 13-year-old in Australia's south west has been called "superhuman" after swimming for four hours to save his family after they were swept out to sea.
ABC reported the boy and his family were on holiday 250 kilometres south of Perth at Quindalup on Friday evening when strong winds pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak out to sea.
The boy then attempted to paddle back to shore, however his kayak began to take on water in the choppy sea.
Following this, he swam for fours hours and told a rescue team about what happened to his family.
Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland told ABC the mum was found with her son, 12, and her daughter, eight, about 14 kilometres offshore, holding onto a paddleboard.
Bresland called the boy's effort to swim to shore to alert authorities "superhuman", especially since about halfway through his journey the boy decided to get rid of his life jacket to make swimming easier.
"I thought, mate, that is incredible," Bresland said.
A search and rescue operation spanning multiple agencies began after the boy swam to shore. This included WA Water Police, Western Australia's Rescue Helicopter, and local marine rescue volunteers.
Bresland said the boy was able to provide a detailed description of both the kayak and paddleboards, which led authorities to find the family "within an hour".
"Thankfully, all three people were wearing life jackets, which contributed to their survival," he said.
"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."
When the rescue teams found the family, they were pulled from the water and returned to shore in a volunteer marine rescue vessel.
Bresland said the mother's actions in keeping the children alive made her "an absolute hero as well".
"To keep those two children together and not give up is absolutely incredible."
The mother and two children were then checked over by paramedics and were then sent to the nearby Busselton Health Campus.
ABC reported the family were discharged over the following weekend, and had visited rescue teams to give their thanks.
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