7-year old swims an hour to shore, rescue family

Reportedly, the current was too strong for the little girl to hold onto the boat and she was the only one who was wearing a life jacket.

According to law, neither the 7-year-old nor the father were required to wear a life vest as the law applies to children aged six and under for a vessel under 26 feet long.

 “I felt really scared,” the father told.

Father jumped in the water to grab his daughter and began swimming toward shore.

The 7-year old kept swimming, doggie paddling and floating on his back to keep from tiring out.

“The current was going the opposite way of going to the boat and the shore so it was very hard to swim that way,” said boy.

It took him about an hour to reach land. He ran to the nearest house for help.

Upon calling out for help, crews from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the father and daughter about a mile from their boat.

The boy stated that he screamed for help at the top of his lungs and waved his arms and sure enough that someone could hear them.

Little boy also made it to shore and got help and that’s what saved their lives.