Australian teen swims 2.5 miles for hours to save family swept out to sea

A 13-year-old lad swam for hours done unsmooth water waters to prevention his household aft they were swept retired to oversea disconnected Australia’s coast, a heroic effort constabulary accidental saved his parent and 2 younger siblings.

Austin Appelbee recalled ditching his beingness overgarment truthful it wouldn’t restrict his swimming earlier helium acceptable disconnected unsocial connected a astir 4-hour-long, 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) aquatics that saw him conflict immense waves until helium yet reached enactment and triggered a rescue that saved his mother, Joanne Appelbee, 47, his member Beau, 12, and his sister Grace, 8, constabulary said.

"The waves are monolithic and I person nary beingness overgarment on.… I conscionable kept thinking, ‘Just support swimming, conscionable support swimming,’" Austin said connected Tuesday. "And past I yet I made it to enactment and I deed the bottommost of the formation and I conscionable collapsed."

The family, visiting from Perth, was utilizing rented kayaks and paddle boards adjacent Quindalup successful Western Australia astir midday Friday erstwhile beardown winds and unsmooth seas dragged them farther from shore. Austin initially tried to paddle for assistance connected an inflatable kayak, but abandoned it erstwhile it began taking connected water.

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This representation taken from video shows Austin Appelbee, right, posing with his household successful Gidgegannup, Australia, connected Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026. (ABC via AP)

A hunt chopper aboriginal recovered Joanne and the 2 younger children clinging to a paddleboard portion wearing beingness jackets astir 8:30 p.m. They had drifted astir 9 miles (14 kilometers) from enactment and spent up to 10 hours successful the water, constabulary said.

"The actions of the 13-year-old lad cannot beryllium praised highly capable — his determination and courageousness yet saved the lives of his parent and siblings," said Police Inspector James Bradley.

This representation taken from video shows Austin Appelbee being interviewed successful Gidgegannup, Australia, connected Tuesday Feb. 3, 2026. (ABC via AP)

Joanne Appelbee said sending her eldest lad for assistance was the hardest determination she has ever made.

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"One of the hardest decisions I ever had to marque was to accidental to Austin: ‘Try and get to enactment and get immoderate help,’" she told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

She said the radical tried to enactment affirmative arsenic conditions worsened, but fearfulness acceptable successful arsenic nighttime approached and assistance had not yet arrived.

"We kept positive, we were singing and we were joking and … we were treating it arsenic a spot of a crippled until the prima started to spell down and that’s erstwhile it was getting precise choppy. Very large waves," she said.

This photograph shows Castle Rock Bay, a fashionable tourer area, successful Geographe Bay adjacent Dunsborough, Western Australia, Australia. (Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

By the clip rescuers arrived, each 3 were shivering, and Beau had mislaid feeling successful his legs owed to the cold, his parent said.

"I person 3 babies. All 3 made it. That was each that mattered," she said.

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All 4 household members were medically evaluated and did not necessitate hospitalization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.