Just keep swimming. 
 
 That's what helped 9-year-old James Savage brave strong currents and cold water Tuesday morning as he swam from the San Francisco shoreline to Alcatraz Island and back — a total distance of over two miles. 
 
 James — at just 4-foot-6 and 57 pounds — was able to set a record as the youngest swimmer to make the journey to the former prison, reported NBC affiliate KSEE. 
 
 By completing the grueling open water challenge, the fourth-grader from Los Banos, Calif., has broken a record previously held by a 10-year-old boy who completed the tiring trek last year. 
 
 James Savage, a 9-year-old boy from Los Banos, Calif, swam through the San Francisco Bay, all the way to Alcatraz Island and back on June 14, 2016. KSEE 
 
 James said that waves in the San Francisco Bay kept hitting him in the face 30 minutes into his swim and made him want to give up. A fleet of paddlers stayed by his side the entire time. 
 
 "I wanted to turn back and they kept yelling, 'I believe you can do it,'" James told KSEE. 
 
 James' coach, Josh Weinberger, was confident with all of the boy's training that he had the technique and fortitude to finish. ||||| A nine-year-old boy from Los Banos has completed quite the journey on Tuesday, as he swam through the San Francisco Bay, all the way to Alcatraz Island and back. 
 
 James Savage is hoping to be the youngest swimmer on record to make the swim. The title is currently held by a 10-year-old. It's been quite an emotion day in San Francisco, but it ended with smiles and cheers as James walked on shore, after hours in the Bay. 
 
 James began the swim at 7:00 a.m., and it took him a little over two hours to complete the feat. He struggled for a big out in the open water, about 30 minutes into the swim. James said the waves were hitting him, and the current was too strong, making it difficult for him to fight them. 
 
 In the end, however, with help from his coach and a promise from his father, James found his second wind, and was off. 
 
 "I wanted to turn back and they kept yelling, 'I believe I you you can do it'," said James. 
 
 "We kind of pushed each other. Finally got him going. Smooth sailing all the way," said Josh Weinberger, Jame's coach. 
 
 James' father said he James completed the swim, he would receive $100, and on the water, James' father upped the offer to $200, just to get James going again. Now that this swimming feat is completed, James said his next goal is to swim the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is 8,981 feet (2,737.4 meters). ||||| Mercey Springs Elementary student James Savage fields questions from reporters after the 9-year-old Los Banos boy swam from the San Francisco Aquatic Park to Alcatraz and back Tuesday morning. Jillian Savage
– Nine-year-old James Savage may have a new Guinness World Record under his belt. The California boy swam from the shore of San Francisco to Alcatraz Island and back on Tuesday, becoming the youngest swimmer to complete the two-mile trip, per NBC News. A 10-year-old boy previously held the record after completing the swim last year. Savage—whose swim was streamed online—says he wanted to give up 30 minutes into the two-hour swim as the waves kept hitting him in the face. But his coach and a fellow swimmer who kayaked alongside him "kept yelling, 'I believe you can do it,'" James tells KSEE. "I was so happy for him," James' mom says. "I'm most proud of what it took for him to get here." James had previously completed one leg of the journey but trained six hours a day to complete the full swim. His dad promised him $100 when it was all over, but handed over $200 because of his son’s effort. "The waves were a lot bigger than I expected," James says. "At first, I was kind of scared." A Guinness World Records rep says there's no official world record for the swim but the group will review James' feat, per the Merced Sun Star. Meanwhile, James' next swim will be easier, but only slightly. He plans to swim the 1.7-mile length of the Golden Gate Bridge.