A 13-year-old boy has been credited with saving the lives of his mother and two younger siblings after swimming for four hours through rough seas to raise the alarm when the family was swept out to sea off Western Australia.
The Appelbee family – mother Joanne, 13-year-old Austin, 12-year-old Beau and 8-year-old Grace, were holidaying near Quindalup, about 200 kilometres south of Perth, when their hired inflatable paddleboards and kayaks were pushed out to sea by strengthening winds and swells on Friday afternoon (30 January 2026). As the conditions, initially calm, deteriorated, the waves strengthened and the family lost two oars. Their kayak began taking on water, leaving them unable to return to shore.
Austin set off alone to seek help after his mother decided she could not leave her younger children.
Speaking to 7News, Joanne says: “There were no boats. There was nothing that we could get hold of. As it got darker, I thought, there’s no one coming to save us. This is us.”
Joanne tells ABC that asking her 13-year-old son to swim through dangerous waters to get help was “one of the hardest decisions” she has ever made. “I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” she told the network. “I would have never went because I wouldn’t have left the kids at sea, so I had to send somebody.”
Speaking to the the BBC, she adds: “It didn’t look like we were that far from the shoreline.”
Austin’s initial attempt to reach land using an inflatable kayak had to be abandoned when it began to sink, leaving him continuing by swimming several kilometres in fading light and heavy seas. He wore a life jacket for part of the swim before removing it when it started to slow him down.
The teen recalls trying to focus on positive thoughts as he swam through rough seas.
“The waves are massive, and I have no life jacket on … I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming,’” he told reporters after the ordeal. “I was really scared … I was just thinking in my head I was going to make it through.”
After reaching shore, he collapsed on the beach before running around two kilometres to find a phone and call emergency services. He reported to authorities that his family was still at sea and provided details about their equipment.
Western Australia police received the call at around 6pm – around an hour before sunset – and launched a multi-agency response involving water police, volunteer marine rescue crews and a rescue helicopter. The helicopter located Joanne, Beau and Grace at about 8.30pm. They were found clinging to a paddleboard roughly 14 kilometres offshore after spending up to 10 hours in the water.
Speaking to BBC, Joanne explains how the situation had started with “a bit of fun” with two paddleboards and a kayak in shallow water at the beach, when the children “went out a bit too far”.
She adds: “The wind picked up and it went from there. We lost oars, and we drifted out further … It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.
Exertion ‘comparable to running two marathons’
Police Inspector James Bradley says: “The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough; his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.”
He added: “Thankfully, all three people were wearing lifejackets, which contributed to their survival.”
While waiting for rescue, Joanne told reporters she had worked to keep her younger children calm by tying the paddleboards together and encouraging them to stay positive as conditions worsened and daylight faded. As night approached, cold and exhaustion set in, with Beau losing sensation in his legs.
All four family members were assessed by paramedics following the rescue. None required hospital admission, although Austin later required crutches after what medics described as exertion comparable to running two marathons.
Reflecting on the family’s ordeal, Joanne says: “My fear is more the mental scarring for these children as time goes on, which is something we’re going to look deeply into. And I just hope that [the experience] doesn’t come back later on to hit them harder than what it should.”
She adds: “I have three babies. All three made it. That was all that mattered.”
Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook, wrote on social media that Austin was a “true West Aussie hero”.
“Austin’s bravery is beyond his years, showing remarkable courage, resilience and determination in the face of real danger,” he wrote.
“Well done, Austin – we’re so proud of what you’ve done.”
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