Divers Rescue Kangaroo Swimming 1.5 Miles Out at Sea

When Jake Murray's boat captain spotted something unusual bobbing in Boston Bay, South Australia, nobody believed it could be a kangaroo. But after doubling back to check, the diving crew confirmed the impossible: a juvenile roo was struggling to stay afloat over 1.5 miles from land.

The calm sea worked in everyone's favor. Using the vessel's water door, Murray got down to wave level and scooped up the exhausted animal, who seemed to recognize the boat as his only hope for survival.

Murray, who farms kangaroos when he's not diving, knew exactly how to handle the powerful legs safely. He kept a gentle but firm grip as the young kangaroo relaxed in his arms. Within minutes, the animal was so exhausted it fell asleep.

The rescue stunned Miguel Villarroel, a diver visiting from Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. When he asked if kangaroo rescues happened often in Australia, Murray had to laugh. "Mate, I've never seen this in my life," he admitted.

Nobody knows exactly how the kangaroo ended up so far from shore. While the animals do venture near beaches occasionally and have needed rescuing from surf before, being over a mile out to sea is extraordinary. Murray joked that maybe the roo had a wild night and took a dare from his friends.

The story has a parallel from 2022, when a 17-year-old rookie lifeguard in New South Wales saved her first swimmer: a kangaroo pushed into the ocean by powerful waves. She used her rescue board to keep its head above water and bring it safely to shore.

Sunny's Take

This rescue captures everything wonderful about quick thinking and compassion. Murray's farming experience meant he knew how to handle the kangaroo safely, turning what could have been a tragedy into a feel-good story. The image of an exhausted roo falling asleep in someone's arms, then hopping away healthy hours later, reminds us that a little help at the right moment can make all the difference.

Hours after his ocean ordeal, the kangaroo hopped back into the Australian bush under his own power, no worse for wear.