Boy, seven, who spent six hours clinging to an esky with his dad after their fishing boat capsized in freezing cold water wakes from his coma
- 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 who spent six hours clinging to an esky with his dad after their fishing boat sank has woken from his coma and spoken to his parents.
Julian Hohnen was on a fishing trip with his father and a family friend off Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland in the early hours of Sunday morning when their boat capsized.
They rushed out of bed and made an emergency radio call but the boat sank and they were left clinging to debris without lifejackets on.
The trio developed hypothermia as the two men took turns holding Julian above the water while a helicopter desperately tried to find them in the dark.
A seven-year-old boy who spent six hours clinging to an esky with his dad after their fishing boat capsized has woken from his coma and spoken to his parents. Pictured: Julian with his father Maike
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)
After six hours clinging to life, Julian, his father Maike, 38, and family friend Stephen Jeacocke, 48, were found at daybreak.
Julian was winched into a helicopter and taken to hospital while the freezing-cold men were taken by boat.
Julian was put into an induced coma, but woke up on Monday.
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His family said in a statement: 'Our son has improved significantly today and is now in a stable condition and talking to us.
'This is a testament to his fighting spirit. He still requires further assessment, but his improvement today has given us hope.'
The trio had set out on a fishing trip on Saturday afternoon. That night their 5.2m vessel began to take on water and sank.
Pictured: Maike is placed onto a stretcher before he is transported to hospital
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 boy was winched to safety and immediately transported to hospital for treatment.
'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,' he wrote.
Coastguard Caloundra volunteer deputy commander Kevin Wager confirmed 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
