As Mr Folau drifted further from land, battered by the waves, he could hear his son calling for him, but he did not respond as he did not want to put him in danger, he explained, in a translation by radio station editor George Lavaka. 

“The truth is no son can abandon his father. But for me, as a father I kept my silence for if I answered him, he would jump in and try to rescue me,” he said. “He would come, and we would both suffer.”

He added, “it stayed with my mind if I can cling to a tree..and if anything happens and I lose my life, searchers may find me and my family can view my dead body.”

Mr Folau managed to find the strength to swim 4.7 miles to the main island of Tongatapu, reaching the shore 27 hours later at about 10pm on Sunday, astounding locals with his heroic tale, that later went viral on social media. 

“Real life Aquaman,” said one post on Facebook, referring to the comic book and film chracter.

“He’s a legend,” said another post.