Boy Jumps Into Freezing Water To Save His Younger Brother - He Knows He May Not Survive

• A selfless older brother dove into the freezing Pacific Ocean to save his younger brother from the towering waves.
• He told his mom he was going into the water, acknowledging that he might not return because of the rough conditions.
• His rescue saved his younger brother's life, and he's now hailed as a hero.

A 14-year-old boy watched his 11-year-old brother swimming at Chrystalls Beach in New Zealand. At the time, the waves towered up to three meters. Luckily, Kalya Gamage's younger brother Kithmi was a swimmer. They swam together at a distance, with Kalya going ahead.

As Kithmi paddled through the waves, they suddenly became stronger. Unexpectedly, a large wave knocked him over as he swam to the shore toward his brother.

Kalya Wasn't Going to Abandon His Younger Brother

The higher waves started coming more frequently, and Kithmi struggled. At first, Kalya watched to see whether the 11-year-old could paddle back by himself. After all, he was used to this by now. He said of the situation:

"I knew he could swim, so I waited a bit for him to try and get back in by himself. But he kept getting pulled further out, so eventually I said to Mum, 'Okay Mum, I'm going out.'"

Instead of getting closer, it seemed Kithmi kept drifting away. The 11-year-old was already 60 meters offshore at that point.

Kalya realized the water was freezing and getting rougher, and he worried they wouldn't make it back. He then got a light bulb moment, remembering his "life saving practice" in Sri Lanka, which taught him how to swim in cold waters in the Indian Ocean.

What Happened After Kalya's Brave Rescue Mission

After a struggle with the ocean, Kalya reached his brother. Despite the hammering waves, he pulled him along as they tried to get to the shore quickly. To everyone's relief, the two boys made it through. They made it to the shore, wet and shivering, but ultimately relieved to be alive.

The 14-year-old became the youngest recipient of the Mountbatten Medal.

The boys' parents worked for Tony and Sue MacDonnell's dairy farm at Chrystalls Beach, so they frequented the area. After he learned of the situation, Mr. MacDonnell echoed that the ocean conditions that particular weekend was the "fiercest" he'd seen in the past ten years.

"The waves were three meters high, vertical, and slamming straight down on the shore. It's a miracle they came out okay," he said.

After escaping the harrowing situation, Kalya received an award for his courage, bravery, and selflessness to save his younger brother. The 14-year-old became the youngest recipient of the Mountbatten Medal.

The Mountbatten Medal, given by the Royal Life Saving Society, is awarded to one member of the Commonwealth each year for a heroic rescue. He and his brother received the medal and plaque from the organization.

Rescue missions are always courageous but don't always end successfully like everyone would want them to. In a similarly brave yet heartbreaking story, a 10-year-old boy sacrificed his life saving three kids drowning in a frozen lake.