Teenager's Four-Hour Swim Through Treacherous Seas Saves Mother and Siblings
Joanne Appelbee has described asking her 13-year-old son Austin to swim for help through perilous waters as "one of the hardest decisions" she has ever made. The family found themselves in a desperate situation after being swept out to sea from Geographe Bay, located approximately 200 kilometres south of Perth in Western Australia.
A Family Outing Turns into a Nightmare
The Appelbee family were enjoying a holiday in Quindalup when strong winds rapidly pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore on Friday afternoon. What began as "a bit of fun" in shallow water quickly escalated when the children ventured out too far.
"The wind picked up and it went from there," Joanne explained to the BBC. "We lost oars, and we drifted out further ... It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly." Faced with the deteriorating conditions, the family made the critical decision to send Austin, the strongest swimmer, back to shore to alert emergency services.
Austin's Gruelling Journey to Safety
As Austin embarked on his daunting 4-kilometre swim, his mother and younger siblings, 12-year-old Beau and 8-year-old Grace, continued to drift further out into the ocean. Wearing life jackets, they struggled to hold onto the boards as the sun set and the waves grew larger and more threatening.
During the agonising wait, Joanne was plagued by doubt. "If he hasn't made it, what have I done? Have I made the wrong decision, and is anyone going to come and save my other two?" she recalled thinking. Meanwhile, Austin pushed through exhaustion, motivated by thoughts of his family. "I was thinking about Mum, Beau and Grace … When I hit the floor I thought, how am I on land right now, is this a dream?" he said.
Upon reaching the shore, the teenager then had to sprint 2 kilometres to find a phone. He calmly called emergency services around 6pm local time, stating, "I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family's out at sea." The immense physical toll caused him to pass out from exhaustion shortly after, and he was taken to hospital.
Dramatic Rescue in Freezing Darkness
Out at sea, the situation grew increasingly dire. Joanne fought to keep hold of her children in the dark, freezing conditions, fearing the worst. "I had assumed Austin hadn't made it," she admitted. "We couldn't see anything coming to save us. It was very much getting to that point where we are on our own."
A search party eventually located the family clinging to a paddleboard roughly 14 kilometres offshore. At that critical moment, Joanne was desperately trying to reach Beau and Grace, who had been flipped off the board by a large wave. "It was an absolute nightmare," she recounted.
Relief and Recovery
The family were successfully rescued and treated at hospital for minor injuries. For Joanne, she could only fully relax when the same ambulance worker who had attended to Austin confirmed he was also safe. "It was an absolute perfect ending to have them all well and happy and sore but no injuries," she said.
Austin, who has returned to school on crutches due to sore legs, reflected modestly on his actions. "I didn't think I was a hero, I just did what I did," he stated. He praised the swift response from emergency services and the caring ambulance crew. The teenager, who began swimming lessons at age four and participated in VacSwim water safety programmes, noted he had previously found swimming 350 metres without a break "quite tiring".
Police Inspector James Bradley commended all involved in the rescue and highlighted the teenager's extraordinary bravery. "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," he said, serving as a stark reminder of how quickly ocean conditions can change.
