Christopher Marino, the autistic boy who miraculously survived 14 hours in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, eight miles off the coast of Volusia County, and his father, Walter Marino, revealed the secret phrases which helped them in their struggle to survive in the ocean.

Walter Marino said on NBC’s “Today” show that he repeated the phrases from his son’s favourite movie, the popular 1995 Disney-Pixar animated movie, “Toy Story.” “To infinity,” dad would say, just like Buzz Lighyear, a character in “Toy Story.” “And beyond!” his son replied. Walter Marino treated the dangerous situation as a game. The boy lacks a fear of death because of his autism and finds comfort in the water, Marino told CNN. Marino kept repeating phrases from Disney movies to pass the time and keep his son calm.

It was his inability to understand the gravity of the situation and to feel the danger that saved him.

The boy was laughing as the two were separated. Walter Marino said he used a lighthouse to remain floating to area so that the searchers could see him. After 15 hours of searching, a boater spotted Walter Marino about eight miles east of the inlet.

A Coast Guard rescue helicopter from Air Station Clearwater located and rescued his son about two hours later. The helicopter spotted the boy treading water about a mile north off the place where his father was found.

A veteran with the Volusia County Beach Patrol called the rescue mission “a miracle.” “It was a modern day miracle,” he said.