> The halacha, as stated in Shulchan Aruch, says you save men first.
All things being equal that is the halacha.
Since they were so close to shore, the ability for a man to survive in the water a little longer than a child and/or a woman, and that the chance of dying is less than 1 in 100, it would be highly debatable whether the whole concept of “saved” comes in to play. Therefore, there would be a strong argument that in this case, it would OK L’Halacha to aid children and women first.