February 3, 2026
"The 13-year-old Australian boy who swam for hours to get help for his family after they were swept out to sea has told the BBC 'I didn't think I was a hero - I just did what I did.'"
"Austin Appelbee didn't know if his mother Joanne, brother Beau and sister Grace were still alive when he finally reached the shore, four hours after he left them clinging to two paddleboards. Miles out to sea off Australia's west coast - the waves getting bigger, the light beginning to fade - his mother feared he too may not have made it.... 'We couldn't see anything coming to save us.... It was very much getting to that point where we are on our own.' Joanne couldn't even relax when she saw the boat approaching: the children had fallen into the water and she was desperately trying to reach them."
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24 comments:
This is 2026. Once they can determine his political leanings, they'll know whether to celebrate his efforts -- or not.
Spoiler alert: If he truly has no political leanings, it's a "not".
The best part about the story is that the kid realized that his life jacket was slowing him down so much that he might not make it to shore or make it on time, so he discarded the life jacket for the last half of his swim. Well done!
The spirit of Rudyard Kipling's "If" lives on.
I can't imagine swimming for four hours.
He might not have made it if he was just trying to save himself. I have witnessed it before — pressing on past the point of giving up because otherwise people you love are dead.
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
For me that would be 4 hours of watching "Jaws" on a loop in my head. I'm always surprised that people can hang out in the open ocean for hours or days and not get eaten right away.
Good on ya, Mate.
bagoh20: I'm always surprised that people can hang out in the open ocean for hours or days and not get eaten right away.
I mean, billions upon billions of fish live years-long lives in that same open ocean without getting eaten, so...
Original Mike said...
"I can't imagine swimming for four hours."
Now imagine that your alternative is to die.
It was about 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) when he finally reached his mother's bag and rang for help.
I hate to be a cynic (not really) but does it seem a little odd that after drifting for hours and miles out to sea, he somehow got back to the same spot and used his mother's phone--rather than seeking help wherever he came ashore? Maybe this is just the usual reporting garble.
So when are they going boating again?
"Now imagine that your alternative is to die."
People die all the time because they are physically unable to do what needs to be done to save themselves. Maybe I could do it, but I doubt it.
"I hate to be a cynic (not really) but does it seem a little odd that after drifting for hours and miles out to sea, he somehow got back to the same spot and used his mother's phone-"
That does seem unlikely.
Good on him!
90% of heroism is location and timing.
It was about 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT)
Thank goodness we know what time it was in London when this happened.
Bond: “Do you expect me to swim for four hours?”
Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.”
I kind of expect Australian boys to be able to swim 8 miles when they're five years old, and catch crocs in their spare time.
tim maguire said...
"90% of heroism is location and timing."
No. 90% of heroism is determination.
Outside bad.
I watched his initial interview. He said beach was filled with foreigners who didn't speak english so he sprinted 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to where the mom's stuff was to get her phone.
"it seem a little odd that after drifting for hours and miles out to sea, he somehow got back to the same spot"
I was wondering how he even knew which direction to swim. 8.5 miles out, I wouldn't think he could see land from there. But since he did go in the right direction, presumably as he got closer he could see the beach and swim toward it.
Also, 2+ miles/hour seems impossibly fast for open sea swimming, even for an adult. Do they have porpoises out there? Maybe he grabbed onto one and it took him toward the shore.
When I was 13 I swam out to help a younger cousin caught in a riptide off the Florida Atlantic. He almost drowned me trying to climb up on top of me (I wasn't trained). I struggled back to shore with him. To this day (40y later) I won't get past waist deep in ocean surf and was always terribly anxious with my daughters swimming in any setting, especially the ocean.. Still am.
Anyway, brave and strong kid. I wish him the best.
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