What began as a day of vacation ended up becoming a story of survival and bravery off the coast of Western Australia. The Appelbee family, originally from Perth, were rescued after spending nearly ten hours adrift at sea thanks to the decision of Austin, a 13-year-old who swam for more than four hours to seek help.
The events unfolded last Friday at Quindalup Beach, where 47-year-old Joanne Appelbee was enjoying the day with her three children — Austin (13), Beau (12) and Grace (8) —. Around noon, the family rented a kayak and two surfboards from the hotel where they were staying to have fun in the water. However, the wind and currents began to intensify suddenly.
“The children drifted too far away and, suddenly, everything got complicated. We lost the paddles and started drifting away out of control. Everything twisted very, very fast,” Joanne said in a later interview. The kayak capsized and the family found themselves adrift, with no way to return to shore.
Faced with the gravity of the situation, the mother made a desperate decision: to ask her eldest son to swim to the shore to seek help. “I knew he was the strongest. I couldn’t leave the other two children alone in the sea, so I had to send someone,” she explained.
Austin plunged into the water not knowing how long it would take to reach shore; all he wanted was to help his family.
Austin plunged into the water not knowing how long it would take to reach shore. During the crossing, fear was constant. “I thought I had seen something in the water and I was very scared,” the boy admitted. To stay focused, he relied on a mental strategy: “I tried to think of happy things and not of the bad things that could happen.” As he swam, he repeated to himself again and again: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
“The sea was very rough. I swam breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke to survive,” the young man recounted, who managed to reach the shore after more than four hours of extreme effort. Exhausted, he managed to alert emergency services, but he fainted shortly after and was transported to the hospital.
Meanwhile, far out at sea, Joanne tried to keep Beau and Grace afloat, both wearing life jackets and clinging to a paddleboard. As hours passed and there was no news of a rescue, distress grew. “I thought I might have made the wrong decision. I wondered if anyone would come to save my other two children. It was a true nightmare,” she recalled.
Eventually, a local search helicopter located the mother and the two children around 8:30 p.m., about 14 kilometers (nine miles) from the coast, after spending nearly ten hours in the water. Police confirmed that all three were conscious and out of danger.
Austin, still hospitalized, called his father crying, not knowing whether his mother and siblings were alive. When he learned that they had been found, doctors and officers celebrated the outcome. “It was a moment I will never forget,” the teenager said.
The four members of the family underwent medical checks and none needed prolonged hospitalization. A week later, Austin returned to school, though walking with crutches due to significant leg pain. Despite the impact of his story, the young man insists he does not see himself as a hero. “I just did what I had to do,” he told international media outlets.
