A 13-year-old Australian boy who swam for hours to raise the alarm after his family was swept kilometres out to sea has downplayed his extraordinary act of courage.
“I didn’t think I was a hero – I just did what I did” the boy told the BBC. Austin Appelbee was kayaking and paddleboarding with his mother Joanne, 47, brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, 8, off Quindalup beach in Geographe Bay, Western Australia, on January 30 when strong winds pushed them far from shore. What began as a relaxed family outing quickly turned into a terrifying 10-hour ordeal.
“The wind picked up and it went from there,” Joanne told the BBC. “We lost oars, and we drifted out further… It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.”
Realising they were being carried farther out to sea and unable to paddle back, Joanne made what she later described as one of the hardest decisions of her life, sending her eldest son back to shore for help. “Early on, we sent this young man back in to try and get help because it didn’t look like we were that far from the shoreline,” she said.
Austin set off in the family’s kayak, unaware it had been badly damaged and was already taking on water. “It started flipping, and then I lost an oar and I knew I was in trouble,” he told the BBC.
After struggling to keep the kayak afloat, he eventually abandoned it and began swimming.
Battling fading light, rising waves and exhaustion, Austin swam roughly 4km (about two nautical miles), at one point discarding his lifejacket because it was hindering his movement.
“It was getting dangerous now – I had been out for a couple of hours,” he recalled. He later admitted he was “really scared” but said thinking about his family, friends and even singing Christian songs in his head kept him going.
When he finally reached land around 6 pm local time, a disoriented Austin made his way along the beach to find a phone and dial Australia’s emergency number, triple-zero.
In the call, later released by Western Australia Police with his mother’s permission, he told the dispatcher: “We got swept out to sea, and we got lost out there… I’m really scared.”
He added: “I haven’t seen them since. I think they’re kilometres out in sea, I think we need helicopters to go find them.” Fearing hypothermia and dizziness, he also requested an ambulance.
Shortly after making the call, Austin collapsed and was taken to hospital. He still did not know if his family had survived.
Meanwhile, Joanne and the two younger children had drifted nearly 14km (8.5 miles) offshore, clinging to two paddleboards. “I had assumed Austin hadn’t made it,” Joanne told the BBC. “As the day progressed, no vessels and nothing coming to save us.”
A large multi-agency search was launched, and by 8:30 pm — nearly 10 hours after the family first entered the water — rescuers located Joanne, Beau and Grace. All three were wearing life jackets and were later treated at a local hospital before being released without serious injuries.
Austin said the moment he learned they had been found was unforgettable. “It was a moment I will never forget,” he told the BBC, describing how doctors and police officers around him erupted in joy.
Western Australia Police praised the teenager’s composure during the emergency call. Acting Sergeant Andrew McDonnell, who coordinated the rescue effort, said in a statement:
“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”
While releasing emergency calls is not standard practice, police said they shared the recording with permission from Austin’s mother to educate the public about responding calmly in life-threatening situations.
Despite being hailed as “superhuman” by rescuers, Austin insists he was simply doing what needed to be done — a sentiment that has only amplified admiration for the courageous teen across Australia.