‘I don’t think I am a hero’: Boy, 13, describes ‘superhuman’ swim to save family
39 minutes agoFlora Drury
The 13-year-old Australian boy who swam for hours to get help for his family after they were swept out to sea has told the BBC “I didn’t think I was a hero – I just did what I did”.
Austin Appelbee didn’t know if his mother Joanne, brother Beau and sister Grace were still alive when he finally reached the shore, four hours after he left them clinging to two paddleboards.
Miles out to sea off Australia’s west coast – the waves getting bigger, the light beginning to fade – his mother feared he too may not have made it.
Only hours later – after Joanne finally spotted the rescue boat in the distance – did she know he was safe. By that time she and the children had drifted 14km (8.5 miles) offshore.
“I had assumed Austin hadn’t made it,” Joanne, 47, told the BBC News channel.
In the end though, “it was an absolute perfect ending to have them all well and happy and sore but no injuries”.
‘A tough battle’
The family had been due to head home to Perth last Friday and were having “a bit of fun” with two paddleboards and a kayak in the shallow water off the beach, Joanne explained, when the children “went out a bit too far”.
“The wind picked up and it went from there,” she recalled. “We lost oars, and we drifted out further…. It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.”
Finding themselves drifting further and further out from Quindalup beach, in Western Australia, Joanne realised she needed to do something – but she couldn’t leave Beau, 12, and Grace, eight, alone.
“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 took the kayak, but no one realised 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 recalled. “I started paddling with my arm.”
At one point, he managed to get the kayak to work – before it threw him for the last time.
Clinging to the capsized kayak, Austin – who swears he “saw something in the water” – realised he needed to do something.
“It was getting dangerous now – I had been out for a couple of hours.”
Getty ImagesHe had lost sight of his family, who had also lost sight of him. As Joanne and the children drifted further out to sea, the waves got bigger and bigger, making it harder to stay on the boards, while visibility had also got worse. They were all wearing life jackets – but they had no food or water.
“I had assumed Austin had made it a lot quicker than he had,” she said. “As the day progressed, no vessels and nothing coming to save us.
“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?”
Austin, meanwhile, had started to swim the last 4km (two nautical miles), abandoning his own lifejacket after a time because it was not helping him.
Throughout the next two hours, it was prayer, Christian songs and “happy thoughts” which kept the “really scared” 13-year-old going.
“I was thinking about mum, Beau and Grace. I was also thinking about my friends and my girlfriend – I have a really good bunch of friends,” he said.
“When I hit the floor I thought, how am I on land right now – is this a dream?”
Then he had another thought: his family “could still be alive out there – I have to go save them”.
It was about 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) when he finally reached his mother’s bag and rang for help.
The call sparked a huge search, police said in a statement on Monday.
Austin – who had passed out after making the call – was taken to hospital where he called his father, bawling his eyes out. He still didn’t know if Joanne and his siblings were alive.
Then, minutes later, he got a call to say they had been found. Everyone – doctors and police officers – were jumping up and down with joy.
“It was a moment I will never forget,” said Austin.
ABC News/Briana Shepherd‘Superhuman’ teen swims hours to save family stranded off Australian coast
Out at sea, Joanne had been struggling to keep hold of her younger children. They were freezing cold, and it was now dark. She now feared the worst had happened to Austin.
“We couldn’t see anything coming to save us,” she said. “It was very much getting to that point where we are on our own.”
Joanne couldn’t even relax when she saw the boat approaching: the children had fallen into the water and she was desperately trying to reach them.
“It was an absolute nightmare,” she said.
Back on dry land, they were treated at hospital for minor injuries. The same ambulance worker who picked up Austin was able to confirm – finally – he too had survived.
He’s even been back at school – admittedly on crutches, as his legs were so sore.
Now, less than five days later, Austin is still trying to process what happened. He certainly doesn’t see himself as a hero, despite what people keep telling him. It was, he acknowledged, a “tough battle”.
His praise is reserved for the “lovely ambulance crew” and the “really quick response” from triple zero, the emergency services.
Others, however, have been effusive with their praise for Austin.
Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group’s commander Paul Bresland described the efforts of the teenager as “superhuman”.
Meanwhile, Insp James Bradley said his actions “cannot be praised highly enough – his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings”.