Boy, seven, is put in an induced coma after six hours in freezing water without a life jacket when a fishing boat capsized - as his dad's heroic actions are revealed
- A boat capsized off the Caloundra coast in Queensland at 2am on Sunday
- Julian Hohnen, 7, who spent six hours in open seas was winched to safety
- On Sunday afternoon Julian was placed into an induced coma in hospital
- His father, 39, and his friend, 48, were taken to hospital suffering hypothermia
A seven-year-old boy is fighting for life in an induced coma after he was saved from freezing water in a miracle rescue mission.
Julian Hohnen is understood to have not been wearing a life jacket when the fishing boat he was in capsized, about 14km off the coast of Caloundra, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast early on Sunday morning.
His father Maike, 38, and family friend Stephen Jeacocke, 48, who were also on board, took turns to hold the child above the water as they waited for rescue crews.
The trio had set out on a fishing trip on Saturday afternoon, before their 5.2m vessel began to take on water and sank.

Julian Hohnen is understood to have not been wearing a life jacket at the time when his dad's fishing boat capsized, about 14km off the coast of Caloundra, in the Sunshine Coast, on Sunday morning (pictured, Julian with his father Maike)

Julian remains in a critical condition while his father (pictured, Maike is placed onto a stretcher before he is transported to hospital) and family friend are in a stable condition and being treated for hypothermia

Julian's father Maike, 38, and family friend Stephen Jeacocke, 48, who were also on board and reportedly not wearing life jackets, took turns to hold the child above the water as they waited for rescue crews (pictured, Julian on a fishing trip before the accident on Sunday)
A distress call had been sent from the boat at about 1.30am on Sunday, though the group had to tread water in the dark for more than six hours before they were finally rescued.
A coordinated search party, consisting of Sunshine Coast and Brisbane water police along with the Coast Guard, raced to the boat's last known location, police said.
Eventually, an off-shore tanker spotted the trio in the water at about 8.30am and alerted authorities.
The group was winched to safety and immediately transported to hospital for treatment.
Julian remains in a critical condition while his father and family friend are in a stable condition and being treated for hypothermia.
'It is very lucky that all three were found alive,' Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Kristy MacAlister said yesterday.
'(Julian) was suffering from hypothermia because he had been in the water for quite some time.'
Mr Hohnen is an avid fisherman, with social media pictures showing the father posing next to large fish.
His Facebook biography also illustrates his unconditional love for his son.

Social media reveals that Mr Hohnen is an avid fisherman, with pictures of the father posing next to larger-than-life sized fish

A distress call had been sent from the boat at about 1.30am on Sunday, though the group had to tread water in the dark for more than six hours before they were finally rescued (pictured, Julian enjoying a fishing trip)
'I’m the luckiest man alive, I’ve got a beautiful son, who puts a smile on my face everyday!'
Ian Hunt from Rotary Rescue told ABC News he was thankful everyone on board the boat, including Julian, had been rescued.
'[When] you have kids of your own, you always feel for the situation, so it's really gratifying to know that they were found and that we played some part in finding them,' Mr Hunt said.
Coastguard Caloundra volunteer deputy commander Kevin Wager confirmed to the Sunshine Coast Daily nine boats in total had contributed to the six-hour search.
'The three hadn't drifted very far we think, but it is quite difficult to pick people up in the water, the conditions were really choppy,' Mr Wager said.
The deputy commander said they were able to locate the missing trio after they found some debris, which indicated they were close.
'The water temperature was about 21C, so not freezing but it would not have been good for a child. Thankfully it had a good outcome,' he said.
Authorities continue to search for the missing boat as an investigation is launched into the accident.

A coordinated search party, consisting of Sunshine Coast and Brisbane water police along with the Coast Guard, raced to the boat's last known location, police said
- Two men and a child found off Queensland's Sunshine Coast after their boat capsized - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Rescue crew praying boy, critical, 'pulls through' | Sunshine Coast Daily
- News Queensland: Boy, 7, placed into coma after Sunshine Coast boat rescue from freezing water