‘I couldn’t feel how tired I was’: ‘Superhuman’ 13yo swims four hours through rough ocean to rescue family

Being suddenly swept out to sea must be a nightmare. One moment you’re enjoying yourself at the beach, the next you realize you’re caught in a current and no matter how much you struggle, the coast is getting further and further away.

Once you’re out in the open ocean, there’s essentially a countdown to your death, and even if helicopters and boats are actively searching for you, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. This nightmare came true for the Appelbee family over the weekend.

Four of the Appelbees, a 47-year-old mother and three children (13, 12, and 8), were enjoying themselves on inflatable paddleboards and a kayak at Geographe Bay in Western Australia when strong winds suddenly pushed them far out to sea.

This must have been terrifying, but 13-year-old Austin Appelby resolved to step up and save the day. He attempted to kayak back to shore and raise the alarm, but rough seas meant his boat quickly took on water. And so he plunged into the ocean, beginning an exhausting and arduous four-hour, four kilometer swim back to land.

“I was very puffed out”

Austin Appelbee is still trying to process his superhuman effort to save the lives of his mum, brother and sister after they were left clinging onto paddleboards for eight hours off Dunsborough.

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In an interview with ABC, Appelby explained that swimming while wearing a life jacket was difficult, so he chose to ditch it. Then, while pushing through the water, “I thought I saw something in the water and I was really scared and I was just thinking in my head [that] I was going to make it through.”

Austin kept swimming, mentally focusing himself on the “happiest things” in his life while “fighting rough seas”. Fatigue set in, Austin knew the lives of his mother and siblings were on the line: “I was very puffed out, but I couldn’t feel how tired I was.”

But, eventually, he made it to land:

“Finally I just made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed and then after that, I had to sprint two kilometres to get to the phone. “I called 000 and … I said ‘I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family’s out at sea.’ I was very calm about it. I think it was just a lot of shock.”

A multi-agency search-and-rescue operation sprang into action, and, thankfully, Austin’s family was soon located. Police inspector James Bradley praised the rescuers, but reserved some special words for Austin:

“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.”

If there’s a moral here, it’s that you should make sure your kids get swimming lessons! One day might not only save their lives, but yours too!