The Nakagusuku Maritime Safety Agency sent letters of appreciation to three members of a local family – 60-year-old Sukehisa, 21-year-old Yuuki and 18-year-old Hiroyuki Taba. The three are credited of rescuing two women who were swept out to the sea.

As the three men were fishing on Ikei Island in May, the youngest of them, Hiroyuki, heard someone calling for help. He first thought that he had got it wrong and kept on fishing, but when he heard it again, he thought it was for real.

When he strained his eyes, he could see two women in the distance of 100 to 150 meters offshore. The two women had been stranded on a reef on the way back from clam digging.

While Sukehisa Taba made an emergency call to police, the two younger Tabas, Hiroyuki and Yuuki, swam to the reef and rescued the two women.

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