A family of five was rescued off the waters of Port Hood in Cape Breton by passersby who answered their calls for help.
Shawn Taylor tells Global News he was biking by the beach Wednesday evening when he heard the mother and four children.
“The kids were loud enough and the wind was blowing the right direction that I heard them,” he said.
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Taylor says it appears the children, who were using flotation devices and an air mattress, had drifted away from a sandbar. Their mother was trying to bring them in but was unable to.
“They were struggling. It was pretty windy,” he said.
“They were quite far out when I heard them. They were all clinging to the inner tubes and an air mattress.”
Taylor says he and a woman jumped in and helped pull the family out. While the water wasn’t deep, it did reach over his head and he says the children were still drifting.
He says all five were cold and the mother was exhausted. People on shore helped warm the family up until first responders arrived to check them out.
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The children ranged in age from five to 10.
Taylor, who was in Port Hood visiting family, says he realizes the situation was serious and is glad to have been in the area and was able to help.
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