Summer is finally upon us – and that means many of us will head out to nearby lakes, beaches and streams to enjoy being on the water in the hot weather.
Unfortunately, the ever-present risks of natural water sources mean that as the number of people using them increases, so does the likelihood of danger.
One family that got caught in a particularly dangerous situation was 7-year-old Chase Pout, his dad and his sister.
The three had headed out on dad Steven’s boat on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, on a Friday evening.
It was supposed to be a relaxing fishing trip; something the family did frequently. They had their routine: Steven anchored the boat and cast his lines, while Chase and his 4-year-old sister, Abigail, swam in the waters around the boat.
But then something happened that the children had never experienced: they were caught in a strong current.
Currents can be random and unexpected, and trying to get out of one is difficult. The general advice is to swim parallel to the current, rather than trying to swim against it. But for a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old, it may have been difficult to know which way to go.
The current was so strong that Abigail, who had been holding onto Steven’s boat with Chase, let go. Bravely, Chase let go too, and managed to catch hold of her.
Chase shared the scary moment in an interview with News4JAX.
“He recalled:
“The current was so strong that my sister — she usually hangs out at the back of the boat — and she let go. So, I let go of the boat and grabbed her, and then, I was stuck. I felt really scared.”
The moment Steven realized what was happening to his kids, he dived into the water and tried to save them.
But the current was so strong that he couldn’t keep hold of everyone – so he made a heartbreaking decision.
Steven told Chase to swim the 1-mile journey to shore and get help. In the meantime, he would try to retrieve Abigail, who had drifted away from him in the current.
He recalled:
“I told them both I loved them because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen. I tried to stick with her as long as I could. I wore myself out, and she drifted away from me.”
Thankfully, Abigail was wearing a floatation device. Chase, however, was not.
Still, the little boy was determined, and he began his 1-mile swim back to shore.
It was a tiring journey, but Chase managed it by switching between doggie paddling and floating on his back. It took him an hour to reach the safety of dry ground.
Once he arrived, Chase wasted no time. He rushed to the nearest home he could find, where he knocked on the door and explained what had happened to his dad and sister.
A rescue team was called out immediately, and the search for Abigal and Steven began.
It took Florida Fish and Wildlife, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office an hour to find them both, but they were luckily both okay.
Thanks to Chase’s bravery and endurance, his dad and sister had escaped the situation unharmed – and Steven knows just how lucky they are.
He said:
“We’re here. By the grace of God, we’re here. Little man … made it to shore and got help, and that’s what saved our lives.”
You can learn more about this heart-stopping story in the video below.
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