Ruby Anderson

And physical exhaustion isn't the only danger here.

Blood still oozes from the cuts in Glen's forehead, slicking the surface of the sea around them.

Surely, it's only a matter of time before the blood attracts those hungry predators for which Australia's coastal waters are notorious.

But right now, that doesn't bear thinking about.

On they go.

Glenn periodically looks up to see how much further to shore.

But there remains a yawning chasm between them and the land.

He grits his teeth and keeps going.

Another hour passes.

At some point, a rescue plane flies low over the bay.

It doesn't seem to spot Glenn and Ruby, but its presence lifts morale.

It suggests the EPIRB has done its job in alerting the authorities to their plight.

Maybe the others have already been rescued.

As they swim, Glenn spots boats in the distance, chugging out across the bay.

He tries calling for help, but his voice is drowned out by the crashing waves.

Judging by the direction the vessels are heading, it seems there would be rescuers think that father and daughter are on the other side of the reef, not here in the bay.

Glenn has no way of alerting them to their mistake.

It is an added torment to know that rescue is both close at hand and impossibly out of reach.

Meanwhile, Ruby is beginning to feel ice cold in Glenn's arms.

Glenn whispers encouragement into Ruby's ears.