Joanne Appelbee says asking her 13-year-old son Austin to swim four hours in dangerous water to get help after his family was swept out to sea was “one of the hardest decisions” she’s ever made.
“I know he is the strongest and he can do it,” he told ABC. “I will never go because I will not leave children at sea, so I must send someone.”
The Appelbee family were on holiday in Quindalup, 200km (125 miles) south of Perth, when strong winds blew their inflatable paddleboards and kayaks ashore from Geographe Bay on Friday afternoon.
In one BBC interviewJoanne explained that the situation quickly escalated while she was playing in the water with Austin and his younger siblings Beau, 12, and Grace, 8. It started out “quite fun” with two paddleboards and a kayak in the shallow water at the beach, when the kids “went out a little too far”.
“The wind blew and it went from there,” he said. “We lost our oars, and we drifted forward … It kind of all went wrong, so quickly.
“Earlier, we sent this young man [Austin] go back to try and ask for help because it seems like we are not far from the beach,” he said.
As Austin swam to shore, Joanne and the children drifted out to sea, soon losing sight of him.
The sun was setting and the waves were getting bigger. Wearing life jackets, they struggled to hold on to the boards.
“I think Austin did it faster than he did,” Joanne said.
After a lot of time passed, he asked if his plan was working.
“If he hadn’t done this, what would I have done? Did I make the wrong decision, and would someone have come to save my other two?”
But Austin swam 4km until he reached the shore.
“I thought about Mom, Beau and Grace … When I hit the floor I thought, how am I on earth now, is this a dream?” he said.
“After that, I had to sprint 2km to get to the phone.”
He reached his mother’s bag and called emergency services around 6 pm local time.
“I said, ‘I need the helicopters, I need the planes, I need the boats, my family is at sea.’ I’m very calm about it. I think it’s just a big shock. “
After the call, he passed out and was taken to the hospital where he called his father.
He was not sure if his mother and siblings were still alive.
Out at sea it was dark and cold. Joanne struggled to hold her young children, and feared the worst.
“I thought Austin didn’t make it,” he said. “We don’t see anything coming to save us.
The search party found the family adrift in the sea and clutching a paddleboard about 14km (9 miles) offshore.
At that moment, Joanne was desperately trying to reach the children, who were floating after the board was overturned by the big wave.
Joanne hears Grace screaming, but Beau doesn’t, until they turn off the boat’s engine and find him.
“It’s an absolute nightmare,” he told the BBC.
Minutes after calling his father, Austin received word that they had been found. He said the doctors and police were jumping for joy.
“It was a moment I will never forget,” he said.
Joanne said she could only relax if the same ambulance worker who took Austin confirmed that he had survived.
The family was treated at the hospital for minor injuries.
“It’s an absolutely perfect ending so they’re all good and happy and sore but no injuries,” he said.
Austin is still processing the ordeal, but has returned to school – on crutches – because his legs hurt so much.
He praised the “quick response” from the emergency services and the “lovely ambulance crew”.
“I don’t think I’m a hero, I just do what I do,” he said.
Austin told the ABC he started swimming lessons when he was four and did VacSwim – water safety lessons for children – but then found it “exhausting” to swim 350 meters without a break.
Police inspector James Bradley thanked those involved in the rescue mission and said it was a reminder that the state of the ocean can change quickly.
“The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised enough. His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.”