As the Western Australia State Police said in a statement, the incident occurred on the afternoon of January 30 off the coast of Quindalup in southwestern Australia. The boy, his mother and two siblings went kayaking and paddleboarding. However, they were carried out to sea, away from the shore.
What was the incident involving 13-year-old Austin?
How many kilometers did Austin swim to save his family?
What motivated Austin to return to the shore?
How did Austin's mother react to his stunt?
Austin “decided to return to shore as darkness fell.” He covered a small part of this distance by kayak. When the kayak began to take on water, the boy had to swim back. The 13-year-old later told CNN 9News that the thought of his family motivated him to head for shore as quickly as possible.
He admitted that “the waves were huge,” which had him swimming different strokes – breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke. Appelbee added that when he got to the beach, he “just fell and then had to sprint two miles to get to the phone.”
According to the police, the boy notified the authorities about his family's situation around 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. in Poland).
Family of a 13-year-old boy located by helicopter. “I knew he could do it”
Authorities launched a search and rescue operation, and Austin's family – his 47-year-old mother, 12-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister – were located by helicopter. CNN reported that the people were “holding on to the paddleboard.” “A volunteer marine rescue unit was dispatched to the scene and successfully rescued all three and brought them to shore,” Australian police said.
The boy's feat was described by Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland as a “superhuman effort”. “Two hours without a life jacket and yes, he made it,” Bresland told CNN 9News. His mother also praised Austin. “I am impressed by his effort, but at the same time I knew he could do it,” she emphasized.
