A 9-year-old Central California boy braved strong currents and cold water to swim from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island and back.
KSEE-TV in Fresno reported Tuesday that James Savage set a record as the youngest swimmer to make the journey to the former prison.
The station reports that by completing the swim, the fourth-grader from Los Banos breaks a record previously held by a 10-year-old boy.
James says that waves in the San Francisco Bay hitting him in the face 30 minutes into his swim made him want to give up.
His father says he had offered his son $100 as a reward; to encourage his struggling son, his father doubled it to $200.
James pushed forward, making it to Alcatraz and back in a little more than two hours. Alcatraz is over a mile from the mainland.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
This father only wanted the fame and recognition of his son making the swim, and not caring about his safety. Very Sad.
IM SURE THERE WAS A BOAT NEAR BY TO WATCH THIS LAD MAKE THAT SWIM, YOU HAVE TO CATCH THE TIDE JUST RIGHT OR YOU COULD BE AT THE FARALONE ISLANDS OR REDWOOD CITY IN A FEW HOURS.
Very dangerous regardless of how many boats are standing by. Sharks.