Thirteen-year-old Austin Appelbee found himself facing a terrifying moment on Friday evening when rough waters in Geographe Bay pushed his family far from shore during what was meant to be a simple paddleboarding and kayaking trip.

When Everything Changed

Around 6pm AWST, the water turned choppy, sweeping Austin’s mum, Joanne Appelbee, and his two younger siblings—just 12 and eight years old—out to sea. Realizing they were in danger, Austin made the brave decision to head back toward shore to get help.

But halfway there, his kayak began filling with water. With no choice left, he slipped into the cold ocean and started to swim—more than four kilometres—without a life jacket.

For two long hours, Austin pushed forward stroke by stroke.

“I just said, ‘Alright. Not today, not today, not today,’” he shared later.

Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland described the effort as “superhuman,” and it’s hard to argue otherwise.

When Austin finally reached land, he collapsed onto the sand—then forced himself to get back up and sprint another two kilometres to find a phone and call for help.

Rescuers located Joanne and the younger children nearly 10 hours after they were first swept away. They were found clinging to a paddleboard and were taken to the Busselton Health Campus, where they later recovered.

Joanne, proud and emotional, said all her children learned to swim early, something she now urges all families to prioritise.

“There’s no bigger word to describe him other than proud,” she said. “I’m speechless at his efforts, but at the same time, I knew he could do it.”

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