A mother has described asking her 13-year-old son to swim for four hours through rough seas to get help after her family was swept out to sea as 'one of the hardest decisions' she has ever made. Joanne Appelbee, her son Austin, and her two younger children were on holiday in Quindalup, Western Australia, when strong winds pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore from Geographe Bay on Friday afternoon.
'I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,' Joanne told the ABC. 'I would have never went because I wouldn't have left the kids at sea, so I had to send somebody.' The situation escalated rapidly while they were playing in shallow water, with the children drifting out too far. 'We lost oars, and we drifted out further ... It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,' she said.
Austin swam for shore while the rest of the family drifted further out, losing sight of him. He eventually reached land, called emergency services, and collapsed from exhaustion. 'I said, “I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family's out at sea,”' he recalled. After the call, he passed out and was taken to hospital.
Meanwhile, Joanne struggled to keep hold of her younger children in the dark, freezing conditions. The family was found about 14km offshore, clinging to a paddleboard. Police inspector James Bradley praised Austin's actions, saying, 'His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.'
Austin, who started swimming lessons at age four, said he didn't think of himself as a hero. 'I just did what I did,' he said. The family survived with no serious injuries, and Austin has returned to school on crutches due to sore legs.
