Austin’s Brave Swim to Save Family

Joanne Appelbee reflected on the difficult choice of asking her 13-year-old son, Austin, to swim four hours through perilous waters to seek help after their family was carried away by the sea. “It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made,” she explained.

“I knew he was the strongest and capable of doing it,” she shared with ABC. “I couldn’t go myself because I wouldn’t leave the kids at sea, so I had to send him.” The Appelbee family was vacationing in Quindalup, located 200km (125 miles) south of Perth, when powerful winds pushed them offshore from Geographe Bay.

During a casual day at the beach with her three children—Austin, Beau (12), and Grace (8)—the situation quickly deteriorated. What began as a fun afternoon with paddleboards and a kayak escalated when the children ventured too far, leading to a series of misfortunes.

Joanne described how the conditions worsened rapidly, “The wind picked up and we lost oars, and we drifted out further… Everything went wrong very quickly.” She made the decision to send Austin back to find help, believing they were not far from the shore.

While Austin swam toward land, his family drifted further out to sea, losing sight of him. As night fell and the waves grew larger, they struggled to keep hold of the boards while wearing life jackets. “I thought Austin would reach land much quicker than he did,” Joanne admitted.

After swimming 4km, Austin finally reached the shore. “I was thinking about Mum, Beau, and Grace,” he recalled. Upon arriving, he ran 2km to locate his mother’s bag and called emergency services around 6pm. “I asked for helicopters, planes, and boats because my family was at sea,” he recounted with surprising calmness amidst the shock.

Meanwhile, Joanne was clinging to her children in freezing, dark waters, fearing for their safety. The family was eventually located 14km (9 miles) offshore, holding onto a paddleboard. After the rescue, Austin learned they were safe, a moment he described as unforgettable.

After receiving treatment for minor injuries, the family was relieved to be united. Austin, despite feeling sore from the ordeal, praised the swift response from emergency services. “I just did what I had to do,” he humbly stated, as police inspector James Bradley commended his bravery and emphasized the unpredictability of ocean conditions.