Brave 7-Year-old Boy Swims an Hour to Rescue His Dad and Little Sister

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In life and death situations, the instinct to save those we love can grant us almost superhuman powers. On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, thanks to a small but mighty hero who rose to face such a challenge, a father and girl are alive to tell the tale.

Chase Poust is only 7 years old. He, his father Steven, and his 4-year-old sister, Abigail, were on a family outing by boat on Florida’s St. Johns River near Mandarin Point. Chase and Abigail swam off the stern of the anchored ship while Steven fished on the deck.

It was an idyllic excursion, until a strong current loosened Abigail’s grip and she released the boat. Instantly realizing that his sister would be swept away, Chase dropped the boat as well to try to reach her.

Steven jumped into the water, but after realizing that he couldn’t keep up with both boys, he was faced with an agonizing decision. “I told them I loved them because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Steven said. News-4 JAX. “I tried to stick with both of them. I got tired. She walked away from me. “

Steven ordered Chase to swim to shore for help and stayed behind, staying as close to Abigail as possible as the life jacket that kept her above the waves floated further and further out of reach.

It was difficult for the 7-year-old, but instead of trying to swim with everything, Chase wisely walked away. Stopping to float or paddle like a dog when he was tired, he would rest and then set off again.

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“The current was going against the boat and the shore, so it was very difficult to swim that way,” Chase told JAX.

Chase took an hour to reach shore. Once on dry land, he ran to the nearest house and called for help.

Members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were dispatched to search for Steven and Abigail.

Miraculously, the two were found and rescued about an hour later, more than a mile away from the family’s abandoned boat.

Steven Poust couldn’t be more proud of his son or more grateful. Thanks to the determination of a pint-sized superhero, this is likely to be a Memorial Day the Poust family will never forget.

(LOOK the WJXT 4 video about this story below).