r/BeAmazed • u/Electronic-Bus-3494 • 20d ago

Miscellaneous / Others A 13-year-old boy swam 4 kilometers through rough ocean for four hours after his mother and two siblings were swept out to sea near Dunsborough, Western Australia. He ran 2 kilometers barefoot to call for help. Rescuers found them clinging to paddleboards 14 km offshore after 10 hours.

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Austin Appelbee was 13. His mother Joanne and two younger siblings were swept out to sea. He tried a kayak first, but it started filling with water, so he abandoned it and swam. Alone. Through choppy water. As daylight faded. Four kilometers. Nearly four hours.

He reached shore, ran another two kilometers barefoot to their accommodation, and used his mother's phone to call for help. A major marine rescue operation launched. Rescuers later found Joanne and the two younger children clinging to paddleboards about 14 kilometers offshore. They had been drifting for nearly 10 hours.

Authorities credited Austin's actions with bringing rescuers to them. A 13-year-old with nothing but willpower and bare feet.

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266

u/GuppyDriver737 20d ago

Did the run mess up his legs or something?

580

u/gene100001 20d ago

Yeah in another news article they said his legs his legs were basically left too sore and exhausted to walk without crutches for few days. He must've pushed himself to his absolute physical limit.

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u/spekt50 20d ago

Probably was at risk of rhabdomyolysis after that. Muscles were surely destroyed.

208

u/YungChumba 20d ago

I had rhabdo once and that shit is no joke. Almost had to have my legs amputated. 

Of course mine was from nodding off in a weird position on heroin, so not quite as heroic. Almost though.

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u/activelyresting 19d ago

You know Bayer pharmaceutical invented heroin and they named it that because in early clinical trials, patients said it made them feel heroic.

31

u/YungChumba 19d ago

Huh, TIL.

5

u/MicrotracS3500 19d ago

Weird, I would think a "heroic" feeling would be associated with uppers, not downers.

3

u/ashgs872tbhjs 19d ago

Uppers make you feel like a god, which is different -- it's selfish, very unheroic. I agree that it's still fucking weird though, given how effective it is at shutting you right down.

3

u/8lock8lock8aby 19d ago

Hey my cousin almost lost his forearm from nodding with his arm underneath him & cutting off the blood for hours. Not too long after that, he fell down the stairs while high af & passed out at the bottom, with one of his legs underneath his body. He ended up losing a chunk of muscle that time. He's clean, now & did a lot of PT so you can't really tell, minus the scars

Hope you're doing well (I'm clean, myself).

ETA - oh shit I completely forgot about this guy I met in rehab that wanted a big last hurrah... ended up in the hospital, instead of detox & lost both legs. He was still really getting used to his wheelchair when I was in with him.

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u/YungChumba 19d ago

I'm glad you and your cousin are clean and doing well!

Similar thing happened to me. I was sitting on the ground and basically folded over myself so the circulation to my legs was completely cut off. When I came to I couldn't walk or move my legs at all. Spent about a week in the hospital getting my kidneys flushed. And gradually regained limited leg function over those days. 

When I left the hospital I needed a walker and could only stand a few minutes at a time. It took me a few months to build the motor function to be able to walk again. 

Somehow I didnt end up with any permanent damage, to my legs or my kidneys. Now I'm clean and working construction and you'd never think I was an inch away from being wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life unless I told you. 

Grateful every day! Lots of love to you and yours :)

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u/chmath80 20d ago

And kidneys. I've had it. Not fun. Dialysis for 3 weeks.

36

u/michaeldaph 19d ago

A diver survived 75hrs in the open ocean here a few years ago. Apart from dehydration and sunburn apparently the most dangerous time for him when rescued was being pulled out of the water on to the boat. He lived. Different of course, but interesting that prolonged weightlessness in water can cause severe medical issues.

20

u/MicrotracS3500 19d ago

Wow, 75 hours is right at the limit of death due to dehydration. I feel like I'd mentally break and drink seawater due to my body craving fluids, and end up dying more quickly.

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u/Idk_why_Im_fat 20d ago

Adrenaline is a hell of a drug!

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u/SanchoPandas 20d ago

Absolutely amazing.

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u/phido3000 20d ago

"Doctors later told Austin that the strain on his body was comparable to running two marathons, and gave him crutches to help his legs recover."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/austin-appelbee-australia-saves-mother-family-geographe-bay-b2913526.html

https://www.thatslife.com.au/real-life/wa-teen-austin-appelbee-heroic-swim-rescue/

My legs were like jelly but I kept kicking, thinking of my favourite songs, and my girlfriend Evie, then 13 – anything to keep going.

..

It was another two hours before my feet finally touched the sand. I’d made it!

Stumbling through the shallows, I just wanted to lie down but I still needed to get to my phone on the beach, about two kilometres away from where I’d ended up.

I sprinted across the sand as fast as I could, but it seemed to take an eternity.

My body was on the edge of collapse when I finally reached my phone, but I knew I had to hold it together to call Emergency. By now, it was around 6p

Over 10 hrs in the water. battling the waves desperately together before giving up and sending him alone to kayak then swim to shore. The a 2km run back to the phones. Bare foot and removed most of his clothing.

Sounds like they were exhausted for hours before sending him off by himself.

Dude is a champ. When people say young people can't do things, here is the perfect case study against it.

72

u/aroseonthefritz 20d ago

I hope Evie never breaks this boys heart

48

u/Klutche 19d ago

Regardless of where life takes them, they must have a special relationship if the thought of her gave him strength when he needed it. That's a wonderful thing to experience.

30

u/A_little_curiosity 19d ago

It's a reminder of the richness of the inner worlds of young people

23

u/FalseDrive 19d ago

So many people disregard “young” relationships as stupid and meaningless, and downplay their child/sibling’s love and heartbreak because they aren’t adults. Do kids make the most sensible decisions? No. Do they have to deal with “adult” problems, like marriage and buying a house and finances etc? No. Doesn’t mean those relationships don’t mean something

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u/A_little_curiosity 19d ago

Yes!! And it doesn't mean that the feelings aren't real or powerful. Real enough and powerful enough to carry a kid like Austin through a superhuman feat like his, indeed

-6

u/ThePianistOfDoom 19d ago

You romantisize hormones bruh, it was the power of the boner /s

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u/ParadoxicallySweet 19d ago

I don’t think she could if she tried, he’s clearly made of steel

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u/Gay_Asian_Boy 19d ago

I think Evie should be worried about the potential competition in the next few months

5

u/icelevel 19d ago

Jesus christ. I am tearing up reading this. What an amazing young dude

2

u/ThatInAHat 19d ago

Oh ffs he ran on sand after that. Somehow that’s even worse.

2

u/schrodingerscat15 19d ago

“Thinking of his favorite songs and his gf.” Love and art save lives.

66

u/gtzippy 20d ago

The barefoot running probably did a number on his feet

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u/love_cici 20d ago edited 20d ago

i can't imagine that feeling, finally getting to shore. what was he thinking as he sprinted down the road? i'm trying to picture how high my heart rate would be, wondering if your family is still alive, running as fast as your body will allow. my stomach would be in my throat. i'd be tearing up because i do that when i'm spooked. and the idea you could lose basically your entire family? this kid did an incredible thing, true courage.

12

u/Galromir 19d ago

it was probably mostly beach running on sand which is arguably worse

9

u/solidadvise 19d ago

I never wore shoes as a kid in aus, it’s likely they were fine.

Used to play indoor soccer on those outdoor basketball pitches barefoot all the time. I skated barefoot for a while but you 100% need shoes to kickflip or you lose all the skin on the top of your foot.

21

u/louwhogames 19d ago

i mean his skin was almost definitely ridiculously fragile after being in the water for so long

1

u/sands_of__time 19d ago

That's a good point. I was thinking that 2k barefoot isn't that far for a kid, but I didn't consider how sensitive his feet would be after being in the water for that long.

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u/GrundleSnactcher46 20d ago

He swam kilometers then hand to go around and find a phone. His legs muscles were fucked from the effort.

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u/PomeloPepper 20d ago

Thank god it wasn't a pay phone!

32

u/Plump_Dumpster 20d ago

I’d like to make a collect call, first name Bob, last name Familyswepttoseaneedrescue

1

u/ThatInAHat 19d ago

It’s Bob. They were swept out to see. They need a rescue.

11

u/aussiegoon 20d ago

All payphones are free in Australia.

10

u/PomeloPepper 20d ago

So do you still call them pay phones?

7

u/Own_Faithlessness769 20d ago

I think it’s also always been free to call 000 on them

1

u/Waywoah 19d ago

Fairly sure it's the same in most places. Once accidentally called 911 using one as a kid

9

u/_spectre_ 20d ago

"somebody's gonna have to swim back and get a shit load of dimes"

1

u/Acrobatic_Wrap_9971 19d ago

Dimes? WHAT YEAR IS IT?!>?!11

3

u/Matzie138 19d ago

Emergency services are generally free no matter the country

2

u/AEON_MK2 19d ago

Pay phones in Australia are actually free (they used to take coins but were made public access). Technically not pay phones since you don't pay, but they are still called that colloquially

1

u/kbcr924 19d ago

All Telstra (the provider of all public telephones) in Australia are free

6

u/AI_moderated_failure 19d ago

The run wasn't the bit that fucked him up. That kind of swim especially for someone who's not regularly swimming for training is nuts.

1

u/porkchop-sandwhiches 19d ago

Yeah it gave him polio.