Teen Swims for Hours Through Rough Seas to Save His Family

Fr. Scott Haynes

Quindalup, Western Australia — January 30, 2026

What began as a simple family outing on the water turned into a desperate struggle for survival on the afternoon of Friday, January 30, 2026.

Off the coast near Quindalup in Western Australia, Joanne Appelbee, an Irish-born mother living in Perth, had taken her three children out on the water. They were using an inflatable kayak and paddleboards in what first seemed like manageable conditions.

But the sea changed quickly.

Strong winds and currents began pushing them farther from shore. Soon they were drifting into open water, unable to paddle back. The waves grew higher, the current stronger. What had started as a day of recreation became a fight for their lives.

On the water with Joanne were her children: Austin, 13, Beau, 12, and Grace, 8.

As the current carried them farther out, Joanne realized someone had to try to reach shore for help. It was a terrible choice for any parent. She later described it as one of the hardest decisions she had ever made.

She turned to her oldest son.

She told Austin to try to get back to land and raise the alarm.

Austin set off in the inflatable kayak wearing a life jacket. But the sea was too rough. The kayak began to take on water. It would not carry him to shore.

So the 13-year-old made a decision that astonished rescuers later.

He abandoned the kayak. He removed the life jacket, which was slowing him down. And he began to swim alone toward the distant shoreline.

The distance was about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

The water was cold.

The waves were large.

The current fought against him.

Battling strong currents and freezing water, he swam far beyond what most trained adults could endure. He later said that he prayed constantly as he struggled through the waves.

“I don’t think it was actually me swimming… It was God the whole time. I kept praying, I kept praying. I told God I would get baptised.”

For about four hours, he swam through the cold, choppy ocean.

He later said he kept repeating to himself:

“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

At last, around 6 p.m., he reached land and collapsed from exhaustion. But he still had enough strength to raise the alarm, and his call triggered a large search-and-rescue operation.

Meanwhile, out at sea, his mother and siblings continued drifting. They tried to stay calm. They sang songs and joked to keep their spirits up, but the cold grew worse as the sun went down.

As the hours passed, Joanne realized how serious their situation had become. She later told ABC that she was preparing herself for the worst.

She said:

“My Mum is in Ireland… I remember looking up at the sky, going, ‘Mum, if you can hear me, just light that holy candle for me.’”

She was mentally preparing for all of them to die.

The family continued drifting as darkness approached. One of the boys began to lose feeling in his legs from the cold. They had been in the water for hours, carried farther and farther from where they had begun.

At last, around 8:30 p.m., a rescue helicopter spotted them. By that time, they had drifted about 14 kilometers (9 miles) and had spent nearly ten hours in the ocean.

All three were rescued alive.

Police later said the boy’s courage had saved their lives.

After the ordeal, the mother expressed her relief in simple words:

“I have three babies. All three made it. That was all that mattered.”

And at the center of the story stood a 13-year-old boy who swam for hours through the cold sea, praying with every stroke, convinced it was not his strength alone that carried him to shore.