By Admin 
A 13-year-old Australian boy saved the lives of his mother and two younger siblings by swimming 4 kilometers in a dangerous shark-filled sea. The incident occurred at Geograph Bay near Quindalup Beach in Western Australia, when the family went out for paddleboarding and kayaking.
The family had reached Quindalup for holidays.
The family included 47-year-old mother Joan Appleby, her 13-year-old son Austin Appleby, 12-year-old younger son Bo and 8-year-old daughter Grace. He came to Quindalup, which is about 250 kilometers south of Perth, on 30 January 2026 for a holiday. The weather initially seemed calm, but due to strong winds and waves their paddleboard and kayak (boat) started drifting. Around noon their kayak capsized, lost a paddle and they began drifting rapidly out to sea.
Austin kept swimming in water for 4 hours continuously
Austin tried to return to shore by kayak to seek help, but the kayak began filling with water and began to sink. Austin left the kayak and started swimming. He swam for about 4 kilometers in shark-infested waters. He swam for the first two hours wearing a life jacket, but felt that the jacket was slowing him down and he would not be able to make it, so he took it off. He swam without a jacket for the next two hours. He used different styles like breaststroke, freestyle and survival backstroke.
Austin kept motivating himself while swimming. ‘I just kept saying not today, not today, not today,’ he told Sky News. He kept saying ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.’ After four hours he reached the shore, where he collapsed due to fatigue, but then got up and ran 2 kilometers to reach someone on the phone. He rang the alarm at 6 pm.
Water police did rescue with the help of Austin
After this a big rescue operation started. Western Australia Water Police, local marine rescue volunteers and rescue helicopters attended. The helicopter found the mother and two children at 8:30 pm. They were clinging to a paddleboard and had been washed away about 14 kilometers from the shore. He was wearing a life jacket, due to which he remained alive for so many hours. The Volunteer Marine Rescue Boat rescued them and brought them to the shore. He was checked by paramedics, admitted to the hospital and later discharged with no injuries. The family thanked the rescue team.
Paul Bresland, commander of the Naturalist Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, said: ‘The bravery, strength and courage of this family was extraordinary, especially the little boy who swam 4 kilometers to raise the alarm.’ He told that Austin swam for the first two hours with a jacket and then continued without the jacket because he thought he would not be able to make it.
Geographic Bay is a very dangerous area
There is always a risk of sharks in Geographic Bay. There have been many shark attacks in Australia recently, due to which many beaches were closed. Even at the time of this incident, the danger was high due to the presence of sharks in the water. Austin’s bravery is being called ‘superhuman’ and ‘hero’. Mother Joan said that sending her son to swim was the most difficult decision of her life.