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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u/AI_moderated_failure 19d ago

Most people don't appreciate how much harder it is to swim than walk/run. 4km is a LOT. Professional watersports instructors are only expected to be able to do 1km at a time. A typical pool length will be 25-50m at most, so think of yourself doing 80-160 laps of the pool without a proper rest. Even relatively fit and active people would find this exhausting.

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u/mrsir1987 19d ago

4k in a swimming pool is fucking insane. This kid is a hero doing it in open water. If anyone knows though is the mom tiny or the kid really big?

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u/Tropicalfisher 19d ago

Tiny mom probably, judging from the fact that she is barely taller than the kids

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u/mrsir1987 19d ago

Okay also the kid has crutches, is that from the endeavor or does he have developmental issues?

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u/NicolleL 19d ago

From the endeavor.

From another article:

Austin has even gone back to school since the incident, showing up on Monday in a wheelchair due to leg pain before swapping it for crutches.

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u/mrsir1987 19d ago

Thank you! I’m definitely one of the people that doesn’t read the actual article lol.

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u/Tropicalfisher 19d ago

That I have no idea, was wondering the same thing

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u/Friday_arvo 19d ago

In Western Australia, which is known for shark attacks and very large sharks.

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u/artsloikunstwet 19d ago

4k in a swimming pool is absolutely doable and normal - if you're actively training as a swimmer or building up stamina for your water polo season. But in the open sea, it's a different beast, and when you previously failed to swim 350m and you're only 13, it is insane.

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u/ImJustHere4TheCatz 19d ago

In the open waters of Australia, at that

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u/porn_is_tight 19d ago

Not to downplay what the kid did in the slightest, but swimming in a pool versus ocean is radically different due to the buoyancy of the ocean water and its higher salinity levels. Like you said though, swimming 4km regardless of salinity as well as dealing with ocean currents is fucking insane 

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u/elessar9411 19d ago

Not sure you're implying, but swimming in the open water is WAY more difficult than the pool. Larger ways, currents, it requires a lot more strength and endurance

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u/Pleasant-Darkness 19d ago

Redditor in their moms basement “well actually” give me a break. Anyone who has actually swam in both knows the ocean is way more difficult. Especially for any distance.

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u/Electrical_Ad_5732 19d ago

If their only experience is only from close to shore, then yes, they could think swimming in sea is much easier than in a pool. You can basically float with no effort.

But move the distance, add some sea and ocean activity and it becomes much harder and you need to do a lot to stay above the water.

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u/Stormagedd0nDarkLord 19d ago

WELL ACTUALLY... doesn't the way the current is going make the biggest difference here?

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u/Temporary-Rip-5551 19d ago

Yea this is an insane feat. Even with immensely favorable currents this would be a rough dip in the drink.

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u/Shoddy-Border2394 19d ago

Couldn't the currents be beneficial in some circumstances? Not to say that this kid benefitted from it, but hypothetically, wouldn't a beneficial current make swimming back to shore easier than swimming that distance in a pool?

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u/VBlinds 19d ago

In this scenario the current was the problem, it's how they got swept out to sea.

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u/elessar9411 19d ago

Hypothetically, yes. But in my experience, swimming even small waves with the water sloshing you around throws off your form and rhythm completely.
Like in the pool if you're a good swimmer, you just put your head down and turn your head sideways on each stroke to breathe, and repeat. In open water, when the waves are disturbing the water, its not at a level height to get that rhythmic breathing going. Your hand isn't going into the water at the same height so each stroke gives you variable power. It is exhausting

On top of that you have to constantly keep looking up to catch your bearings.

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u/dus_aster 19d ago

In theory? In practice any added benefit (in my own experience paddleboarding/ocean swimming, at least) is outweighed by wind and waves. That, and if you've gotten pulled too far out (as VBlinds pointed out), you are usually by definition going to be fighting an ebb current unless you've been out there so long it's cycled back to a flood currant.

Idk, swimming in open water is just a whole different sport vs swimming in a pool. Wind and waves make it easy to lose your bearings--you can't really zone out and just focus on form like you can in a pool. There's obviously an endurance component either way, but ocean swimming (imo) feels more akin to riding a bike offroad vs running on a treadmill. ie, stop paying attention and bad things can happen pretty quickly.

That, and psychologically, deep open water with strong currents can be pretty panic-inducing for some folks in a very animal-brain kinda way.
And if panic sets in it can get fatally ugly... this kid has nerves of steel honestly

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u/sands_of__time 19d ago

You're right, but he was in a very protected bay, so the wind and waves were minimal.

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u/porn_is_tight 19d ago edited 19d ago

which is why I specifically mentioned ocean currents, but with the buoyancy difference on its own, it is easier than freshwater. When there isn’t strong currents the difference is significant… the science supports that. I also do triathlons and have years of empirical fitness data backing this up. I’ve also been swimming in the ocean for decades now..

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u/Bubbly_Basil2528 19d ago

That is absolutely and stunningly ridiculous. Swimming in a pool is much easier than the open ocean. For a start, you aren’t terrified you will die.

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u/zqmvco99 19d ago

Ok. Go ahead and swim 4 km in open water.

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u/porn_is_tight 19d ago

I have many times, like I said, what the kid did is insane and I’m not downplaying it at all… the person I replied to talked about swimming 4km in a pool which is wildly different than swimming 4km in the ocean. Getting so much pushback on this is peak Reddit lol…

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u/Healthy-Fig-6107 19d ago

You are right about one thing here. Your comments thus far is truly peak Reddit.

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u/porn_is_tight 19d ago

yea what do I know, only been doing this stuff for decades. 

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u/Healthy-Fig-6107 19d ago

And I somehow doubt that severely.

For someone who's being doing this stuff for decades, you seem to not understand the difficulties of swimming against the current, in open water, in contrast to a pool.

Just admit you were being unnecessarily nitpicky/contrarian, and sit down.

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u/mrsir1987 19d ago

Honestly I feel like I exert more energy swimming in the sea because of the buoyancy I’m probably wrong but that’s where I stand

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u/artsloikunstwet 19d ago

It's not unthinkable you do less efficient movements because you're not used to it, but generally it helps - especially if you're heavier.

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u/Humbugwombat 19d ago

As a teenager I worked as a lifeguard at a naval base where we had both pools and beaches. I always thought the benefit of saltwater buoyancy was way overstated because it was usually accompanied by choppy water and occasionally adverse currents. Pool water also doesn’t have sea critters in it and you’re always relatively close to the water’s edge.

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u/porn_is_tight 19d ago

if you swim past the chop it’s a lot easier, obviously ocean currents and conditions change things but I’ve never been able to swim 4km in fresh water, ocean is another story. I’ve been in the ocean for decades so don’t really think much about critters

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u/Dreamin0904 19d ago

To add to this, the southwestern Australian waters around the Dunsborough WA area are pretty damn sharky.

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u/Madragun 19d ago

That's what really gets me about this story, probably because I have a terrible fear of sharks and always stick close to the shore. Swimming through the open ocean for hours is literally my worst nightmare, and then you put all the pressure of saving your entire family on top of that. Crazy feat of willpower and mental fortitude for any human let alone a kid. 

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u/kelldricked 19d ago

80-160 laps in a pool is insane, but this was in open waters with currents. Hell its amazing he even found his way onto land. A lot of people would simply get diverted by current and tire out before coming close (this absolutely includes me).

Riptides (think this is the english word for it) are insanely scary if you dont know how to deal with them. And even if you know how to deal with them, its really hard to realize you cant swim against it and need to swim to the sides. Feels like giving up controll when you are in a situation thats lifethreating. But actually you are doing the only thing that can give you controll

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u/sands_of__time 19d ago

He was swimming in a very protected bay (Geography Bay) without significant currents or riptides.

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u/orthopod 19d ago

Saltwater buoyancy helps, but the choppy water certainly adds a lot to the difficulty.

Certainly you can take a break, and rest and just float on your back in the ocean..

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u/unknownpoltroon 18d ago

Probably not that long. A break when your family is drifting out to sea

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u/orthopod 18d ago

If he drowns, then it's a moot point. Swimming 4km straight is likely impossible for 99% of people. Having those breaks, makes it possible

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u/GuavaDevourer 19d ago

Rivers are treachrous, but the thing about the ocean is that sometimes it's just too strong for us. Some currents are unbeatlebe.

Amazing feat by the boy, makes me question the distance, But it's not the first time we hear of people becoming superhuman in these situations.

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u/Original-Weekend-866 19d ago

Current and tides must of been in his favor. But 4 hours? That seems too long. Did he have a flotation device? I'm calling BS on this. 4 hours in the ocean/surf is impossible for a 13 year old. Maybe if it were glassy out

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u/caspergaming634 19d ago

Just to add. As someone who has ran many marathons, running and cardio have been my life. Swimming is a way harder exercise and workout and activity all together than running and it's not even close.

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u/sands_of__time 19d ago

Not really, you're just not used to it (I've also run many marathons and ultras). Swimmers are able to train for hours a day, whereas runners are far more limited due to the impact forces. Professional endurance swimmers train much, much longer than professional runners precisely because swimming is easier on the body.

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u/artsloikunstwet 19d ago

Yes, slow swimming isn't necessarily draining that more energy if you're trained and have the technique. But that's the point, the skill gap between ordinary people who "know how to swim" and good swimmers is huge, and the distance of a casual training set for the latter would be a death sentence to the former.

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u/mildlyhorrifying 19d ago edited 17d ago

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u/Renbarre 18d ago

You lose a lot of body heat in the water, which makes it worse than running

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u/Yoshi9105 19d ago

honestly... granted I grew up in a landlocked country so wasn't swimming a lot but when I was his age and had to do swimming in school, I barely made half a pool length before almost drowning. it's so exhausting. I know a lot of Aussie kids probably learn how to swim before they can walk but that doesn't mean this wasn't an absolutely superhuman feat. especially since he failed his swimming certificate a few weeks prior to this, the lack of confidence could have easily stopped him if he'd stayed in his head. thankfully instinct took over. what an incredible kid.

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u/largemarjj 19d ago

I would be fucking with the instructor who failed me on the swim test so much after everything if I was him.

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u/ComfortOk9194 15d ago

He said that when he got tired he just thought of his Mum and family being stuck out there, and then he kept going again. What a champion.

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u/WorkingInAColdMind 19d ago

Just knowing how to float will take care of a lot of the "surviving" aspect of it, but that's not going to be easy for multiple hours, even assuming you're just working to stay afloat. Actually swimming that distance in open water is crazy to imagine. Not only from the physical aspect, but mentally staying calm and just pushing through.

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u/nawksnai 19d ago

I’m just about to go swim laps in an outdoor pool, and I do this semi-frequently.

I’ll likely end up swimming 1.3 to 1.5 km total.

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u/oshinbruce 19d ago

I do 1km in a pool on the regular and I struggle to do anything close in open water, especially if you have currents. Even that 1km takes me like 30min. Think 1km on a sidewalk vs 4km up a steep hill

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u/TomeThugNHarmony4664 19d ago

This deserves more attention. I am proud of myself for swimming a mile. In a pool. That is warm, calm, and shark-free.

This young man is amazing.

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u/passcork 19d ago

It's a standard ironman distance swim. Which are done in open water usually, sometimes the sea as well. But yea, people normally practice a lot of swimming first.

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u/Touristenopfer 19d ago

You can easily double to triple the lap number. Swimming in the ocean with rough water is way different from doing lanes in a pool with current, wind, up and down and no guiding lines for going straight.

Really impressive accomplishment.

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u/Loggerdon 19d ago

And open water is significantly more difficult to swim than a calm pool. The more I look into this story the more impressed I am with the kid. He started out in a kayak but it quickly took on water so he jumped in the water and swam. What a stud.

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u/SpAwNjBoB 19d ago

Not to mention fighting currents and all that. Swimming in the sea is way more challenging than a pool. It's amazing what we are capable of when faced with certain death.

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u/SoftlyAugust 19d ago

I swam... idk maybe half a mile? across a lake and back recently and I was so tired. I could have gone further but I was taking breaks too. And I didn't run two kilometers afterward. And I'm an adult.

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u/DroidLord 19d ago

Relatively fit and active? Brother, I can't even swim 100m consecutively. 4km to me seems completely unfeasible for a human being to accomplish. This kid had to transcend body and mind to pull this off. What an absolute tank.

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u/bikedork5000 19d ago

Uhhh I did an "Ironman" thing at my gym a few years ago (you do the full Ironman distances over the course of a month) and I broke the 2.4 mile swim into 3 session. One of them I did 1 mile. Took some time, maybe like 50 minutes. I'm a decent swimmer, been in the water and around lakes all my life, but I'm not some technical whiz with a brilliant freestyle stroke. But it was fine, nothing insane. My hands actually fatigued more than anything. So yes, 4km is a lot. But far from some totally insane distance. The key part here is open water, bad conditions, and actual peril on the line.

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u/Renbarre 18d ago

And being 13, not a full grown man

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u/bikedork5000 18d ago

Dude I did one lap where I went HARD. Like the fastest I could possibly go. It was fast enough to tie the pool record for 6 year olds. Swimming scales pretty well for small people and children.

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u/TALKTOME0701 19d ago

It's incredible. That kid has no quit in him

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u/ohhowcanthatbe 19d ago

4km AGAINST THE FREAKING OCEAN!

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u/silly-gaijin 15d ago

I swam 2 km once and it was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done and I've done military training. I could barely finish the swim, I was so utterly exhausted. 4km is crazy. I have a hard time believing it tbh. How much of that was kayak.

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u/GreenApocalypse 13d ago

Yeah, it's insane. Doing 1km as a grown man is hard

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u/Own_Elderberry6812 19d ago

I don’t think there is much confusion over how much more difficult swimming is.

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u/AI_moderated_failure 19d ago

I know plenty of people who can't even swim. They have no frame of reference for the difficulty of swimming relative to other things like running or cycling. Even people who seim casually may not appreciate how long 1km actually is without thinking about how many laps in a large to olympic size pool that would be.