His mother told him to go to the shore. 'I was really scared,' said Appleby, 'I was wondering if I could make it across.'
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After his mother and two siblings were swept out to sea by a wave while kayaking, 13-year-old Austin Appleby swam for four hours to reach shore.
Then, he called rescuers and asked the family to save him.
A 13-year-old boy has saved the lives of his mother and two siblings by swimming for four hours off a beach in Australia. He had gone kayaking and paddle-boarding with his family on Friday afternoon. But when a big wave hit, their board capsized. The kayak filled with water and his mother and siblings began to drift.
Soon after, his mother told him to go to shore. 'I was really scared,' Appleby said, 'I was wondering if I could make it.'
He swam for two hours wearing a life jacket. But when he felt uncomfortable, he threw it back into the water. "I was very tired, but I didn't realize how tired I was," he said. He continued swimming. He said he did breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke. As soon as he reached the shore, he called emergency services and requested a boat, helicopter and plane. "My family is far away at sea," he said. Police said a search helicopter found the mother and two children wearing life jackets and holding onto a paddleboard at 8:30 p.m. They had been in the water for 10 hours. Marine rescue volunteer Paul Bresland said the teenager's four-hour swim saved his family's lives.
The mother and siblings were swept away 14km from the tourist town of Quindalup. Rescuer Bresland said Appleby had done an extraordinary job. 'I thought it was incredible,' he said.
Police Inspector James Bradley could not praise Appleby enough. 'His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and his siblings,' Bradley said.
Local media have also praised Appleby's mother, Joanne. She kept her 12-year-old son Bo and eight-year-old daughter Grace safe for hours at sea.
'At first everything seemed calm and pleasant,' Joanne said. 'I told Joanne, with a heavy heart, to go to shore and try to get help.' "I was in a lot of pain afterwards. As the sun was setting, I thought: 'Something really bad has happened here.' My biggest fear was that Appleby wouldn't survive," she said. "There are so many things going on in your mind at times like these."
