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A family outing at Geographe Bay turned perilous when Austin Appelbee, along with his family, found themselves at the mercy of rough waters while paddleboarding and kayaking near Quindalup on Friday evening around 6 p.m. AWST.
As the situation unfolded, Austin noticed that his mother and two younger siblings were stranded, prompting him to make his way back to shore to alert others of their predicament.
However, his attempt to return was thwarted when his kayak started taking on water, forcing him to swim over four kilometers to reach the shore.
“He swam for two hours without a life jacket, and he made it. It was a superhuman effort,” remarked Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Austin shared that thoughts of his family gave him the strength to complete the challenging swim.
“I just said ‘alright. Not today, not today, not today’,” Austin said.
“I did breaststroke, I did freestyle, I did survival backstroke.
“I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed and then after that I had to sprint two kilometres to go get to the phone.”
Austin’s mum Joanne Appelbee and siblings, aged 12 and eight, were found by emergency services clinging to a paddleboard after spending nearly 10 hours in the water.
The trio were taken to Busselton Health Campus and have since recovered.
Joanne said all her children learned to swim at a young age and encouraged other families to do the same.
“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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