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.
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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u/Interesting_Sock9142 20d ago
Wait are the arm crutches due to injuries he got from swimming/running to find help?