13-year-old hero swims 4km to save his mother, brother and sister

A 13-year-old Australian boy swam through troubled waters as the sun set to save his mother and two brothers and sisters who were drowning in the sea.

The family was sailing in kayak near a coast in western Australia on Friday when strong winds swept them off course.

The teenager set sail toward the coast to inform the authorities, but his kayak was filled with water, so he decided to swim the remaining four miles [four km].

The power, strength, and courage shown by this family were remarkable, especially the young man who swam four kilometers to inform the authorities, the Volunteer Group said.

The commander of the group even described the teen's efforts as superhuman. The young man, he estimates, swam the first two hours wearing a life jacket, but then threw it away and swam two more without it.

The BBC reports that the young man managed to inform authorities at 6 pm local time Friday. A rescue search operation was launched immediately to find her 47-year-old mother, her other, 12-year-old son, and her 8-year-old daughter.

The three were found about 8:30 p.m. by a rescue helicopter, caught behind SUP about 14km off the coast. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution and quickly left the hospital./Periscopi/