Thirteen-year-old hero saves family from sea after four-hour swim.
In a heart-stopping display of bravery, a young boy paddled his way to safety, fighting to keep his family alive in the treacherous waters off Australia's west coast.
Austin Appelbee, who was kayaking and paddle-boarding with his mother and two siblings on Friday afternoon, found himself at the mercy of massive waves that quickly flipped their boards and filled their kayak with water. The young teenager, who had gone out to enjoy a day in the sun, was forced to think on his feet as he desperately tried to keep his loved ones safe.
"I was really scared," Austin admitted, recalling the terrifying ordeal. "I just thought I'd make it through, but I was also thinking about all my friends at school and church."
With his family's lives hanging in the balance, Austin made a decision that would ultimately save them: he abandoned his life jacket to swim unencumbered, using every last ounce of strength to propel himself towards shore.
"I was very puffed out, but I couldn't feel how tired I was," he said, his voice revealing the immense physical and emotional toll of his four-hour swim. At one point, Austin even broke into an impromptu rendition of the "Thomas the Tank Engine" theme song to keep his spirits up.
Miraculously, after what seemed like an eternity, Austin finally reached the beach, where he called for emergency assistance. His frantic calls led to a massive search operation, which ultimately found his mother and two children – clad in life jackets but struggling to stay afloat on a paddleboard 14 kilometers from shore – at 8:30pm.
"It was incredible," said marine rescue volunteer Paul Bresland, describing Austin's efforts as "superhuman". The young hero had swum the first two hours of his ordeal while wearing a life jacket before ditching it to tackle the final two hours without aid. His bravery has been hailed by police and emergency services alike.
"We cannot praise this boy highly enough," said Police Inspector James Bradley, who was part of the search team. "His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings."
Austin's family – including his 12-year-old brother Beau and eight-year-old sister Grace – have also been praised for their own resilience during the harrowing ordeal.
"It seemed nice and calm to begin with," Austin's mother, Joanne, recalled. "One of the hardest decisions I've 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'."
For his part, Austin remains humble about his heroics, saying only that he was trying to keep his family safe.
"It's all just me," he said with a shrug. "I did what I had to do."
In a heart-stopping display of bravery, a young boy paddled his way to safety, fighting to keep his family alive in the treacherous waters off Australia's west coast.
Austin Appelbee, who was kayaking and paddle-boarding with his mother and two siblings on Friday afternoon, found himself at the mercy of massive waves that quickly flipped their boards and filled their kayak with water. The young teenager, who had gone out to enjoy a day in the sun, was forced to think on his feet as he desperately tried to keep his loved ones safe.
"I was really scared," Austin admitted, recalling the terrifying ordeal. "I just thought I'd make it through, but I was also thinking about all my friends at school and church."
With his family's lives hanging in the balance, Austin made a decision that would ultimately save them: he abandoned his life jacket to swim unencumbered, using every last ounce of strength to propel himself towards shore.
"I was very puffed out, but I couldn't feel how tired I was," he said, his voice revealing the immense physical and emotional toll of his four-hour swim. At one point, Austin even broke into an impromptu rendition of the "Thomas the Tank Engine" theme song to keep his spirits up.
Miraculously, after what seemed like an eternity, Austin finally reached the beach, where he called for emergency assistance. His frantic calls led to a massive search operation, which ultimately found his mother and two children – clad in life jackets but struggling to stay afloat on a paddleboard 14 kilometers from shore – at 8:30pm.
"It was incredible," said marine rescue volunteer Paul Bresland, describing Austin's efforts as "superhuman". The young hero had swum the first two hours of his ordeal while wearing a life jacket before ditching it to tackle the final two hours without aid. His bravery has been hailed by police and emergency services alike.
"We cannot praise this boy highly enough," said Police Inspector James Bradley, who was part of the search team. "His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings."
Austin's family – including his 12-year-old brother Beau and eight-year-old sister Grace – have also been praised for their own resilience during the harrowing ordeal.
"It seemed nice and calm to begin with," Austin's mother, Joanne, recalled. "One of the hardest decisions I've 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'."
For his part, Austin remains humble about his heroics, saying only that he was trying to keep his family safe.
"It's all just me," he said with a shrug. "I did what I had to do."
, but I'm impressed he still managed to paddle for 4 hours straight! That's some serious endurance 
. The fact that his family was wearing life jackets when they got rescued is also a good thing – it shows he made the right call at the time 
. I'm just glad everyone made it out alive, and Austin can finally relax now 
.
like, can u even imagine being in that situation & having to think on ur feet like that? austin sounds so brave & selfless, but also kinda traumatized lol idk how he did it for 4 hours without getting exhausted 
anyway i'm just glad everyone made it out alive 
I mean, can u even imagine being in his shoes?! 
He's paddling around with his family, enjoying a chill day out, and then BAM! massive waves hit and they're all like "help!!" 
. And can u believe the theme song part? 
"Thomas the Tank Engine" who knew?! 
. The search team found them at 8:30pm, after 4 hours in the water... that's INSANE 
"Thomas the Tank Engine" - who knew it'd be his savior 
. I'm so proud of him! His mum's decision to tell him to get to shore ASAP was a good one too - can't say much for the paddleboard situation 
.
. Anyways, let's give this kid a raise... or at least a medal 
!
i mean, four hours in the water and he still managed to swim back to shore without any life jacket? that's like something out of a movie! 
i'm seriously so proud of him, not just for saving his family but also for being so brave and determined throughout the whole ordeal. 
1 like for this super brave teen!!! Austin is literally a hero 
. can't even imagine being in those shoes (or should i say, paddleboard?) . any way, congrats to this kid for saving his own family and proving that even 13-year-olds can be total heroes 
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i think thats what makes him a hero, not just for savin his family but also for stayin humble about it too 