13-year-old boy swims four hours to save family swept out to sea

A 13-year-old boy, Austin Appelbee, has been applauded for his bravery for saving his family after they were swept out to sea off Australia’s south-west coast, swimming for four hours to get help.

Teenager, Austin Appelbee, swam 4km (2.5miles) to shore after he got into difficulties with his mother, Joanne Appelbee, 47, brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, 8 at Geographe Bay in Western Australia. The family had been using inflatable paddle boards and a kayak when conditions suddenly worsened.

According to Police the teenager initially tried to paddle back to land in his kayak, but it began taking on water.

The brave boy Austin Appelbee then abandoned the vessel, took off his life jacket, and swam the remaining distance to shore, eventually reaching land and alerting authorities, triggering a major search-and-rescue operation involving water police, volunteer marine rescue crews and a rescue helicopter.

Austin said he tried to focus on positive thoughts as he swam for around four hours in rough seas, raising the alarm at 6pm.

“The waves are massive and I have no life jacket on. I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’,” Austin said. “And then I finally made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed.”

Austin’s mother, Joanne Appelbee, said sending her eldest son for help was one of the hardest decisions she had ever made.

“I couldn’t leave the other three children,” she said. “I said to Austin: ‘Try and get to shore and get some help. This could get really serious really quickly.’”

“One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was to say to Austin: ‘Try and get to shore and get some help. This could get really serious really quickly’,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

She said that as daylight faded and seas became rougher, her confidence that help would arrive began to waver. She said she worked to keep the younger children calm as waves grew larger and temperatures dropped.

The Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, an organisation that provides emergency maritime response, including search and rescue also praised the boy’s endurance.

“The bravery, strength and courage shown by this family were extraordinary, especially the young fella who swam 4km to raise the alarm,” it said.

The Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group described Austin’s effort as “superhuman”, praising his endurance and presence of mind. Rescuers said the detailed description he gave of the kayak and paddle boards was crucial in locating his family.

The group’s commander, Paul Bresland, described the effort as “superhuman”.

The family, from the state capital Perth, were on vacation and were using kayaks and paddle boards hired from their hotel, around noon, when rough ocean and wind conditions started dragging them out to sea.

“The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough – his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings,” police inspector James Bradley said.