Boy Who Kept Floating In The Ocean For Six Hours At Low Temperatures Miraculously Survived

Jul 24, 2020 by apost team

Miracles do happen. All you need to do is look at the case of Julian Hohnen, a young Australian boy. In the summer of 2019, Julian and his father Maike Hohnen were fishing off the coast of Caloundra, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast when their boat capsized. Maike had to cling to his son and tread water for more than six hours until rescuers arrived. For his bravery during the ordeal, Julian received the Pride of Australia medal at just 7 years old.

This little boy was having a fun trip out with his father, Maike, going fishing with a family friend, Stephen Jeacocke. According to News7 Australia, they were in the ocean off Queensland when things got serious. The boat sank. They were eight miles away from shore and the temperature was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The water temperature may not seem too bad, but the average body temperature runs around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Being immersed in water so much lower in temperature is a struggle as the body tries to retain its heat. With that said, according to the Daily Mail, the ocean's relatively high temperature probably prevented Julian from getting too cold, saving his life in the long run. Moreover, before the boat completely sank, they were able to get out a distress signal. But they ended up having to tread water for six hours. None of them had been wearing life jackets because they had been sleeping when the boat began to sink. When they woke up, they had no time to react other than to jump in the water.

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With a 7-year-old in the mix, staying alive was more of a challenge. The two men clung to debris while trying to keep Julian afloat. Finally, a rescue team was able to save them after they were spotted by an anchored tanker. The group was lifted into a helicopter and taken to the closest hospital. All of them were dealing with hypothermia. To give Julian a better chance at survival, they placed him in an induced coma.

“It’s always a delicate operation when you’re winching a patient that’s potentially suffering from hypothermia,” Kristy MacAlister, a representative for the Queensland Ambulance Service told News.com.au. “As you winch them out of the water, the wind temperature can also decrease the body temperature further.”

Despite being in an induced coma, Julian has a fighting spirit. He was able to open his eyes to the joy of his entire family. It's a miracle that he survived against all odds.

It's good that all three were found when they were. They had been in the water for hours and things could have gotten worse quite quickly. They were lucky to get out and survive. Julian, his dad, and Jeacocke recovered quite well. When Julian woke up, he began talking to his parents and family. He was in good spirits, even being in the hospital.

According to Sky News Australia, Julian was the youngest person honored at the Pride of Australia ceremony in 2019.

Nowadays, according to Maike Hohnen's Facebook, it seems that he and his son are still enjoying fishing together despite the incident.

What do you think? Was Julian's recovery a miracle? Let others see this miraculous survival story for themselves by passing this story along to them.