“Not Today”: Aussie Teen Speaks Out After Swimming 4km Through Shark Infested Waters To Save Family

• A 13-year-old Australian boy swam for four hours through rough seas to get help after his family was swept out to sea
• Austin Appelbee thought of happy memories to keep himself going before collapsing on the beach
• His mother and siblings were eventually found clinging to paddleboards 14km offshore after a 10-hour ordeal

An Australian teenager has broken his silence about the moment he decided to swim for hours through dangerous waters to save his family. News outlet RTE shared a video on 3 February 2026 showing 13-year-old Austin Appelbee and his family talking about their terrifying ordeal off the coast of Western Australia.

As reported on by Briefly News, the family had been having a fun day at the beach in Quindalup when Austin's siblings went out a bit too far on paddleboards. The wind picked up quickly, and the family found themselves drifting further and further out to sea. Austin's mother, Joanne, realised she needed to do something but couldn't leave her other children, 12-year-old Beau and eight-year-old Grace, alone.

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Early on, they decided to send Austin back to shore to get help. He took a kayak, but no one realised it had been badly damaged. Austin said he just kept telling himself "not today" as he battled the rough seas. He knew it would be a long way because it was about 4 kilometres to shore.

The kayak kept capsizing and taking on water. Austin fought against the rough seas for two hours with just his life jacket and the damaged kayak. He eventually realised he had to untie the life jacket and swim to shore with nothing. For the next two hours, he was just swimming alone through shark-prone waters.

At one point, Austin thought of Thomas the Tank Engine and tried to get the happiest things in his head to keep himself going. He was really scared but kept pushing forward, thinking about the people he loved.

When he finally hit the bottom of the beach, he collapsed. After collapsing on the beach, he sprinted another 2 kilometres to find a phone. When he made the call, he said:

"I need helicopters, I need planes, I need both, my family is out at sea."

Austin passed out after making the call and was taken to the hospital. Out at sea, Joanne had been struggling to keep hold of her younger children in the cold and dark.

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Watch the Facebook clip here.

People praise teen's bravery

Social media users praised the young boy on the Facebook page @rtenews clip:

@tonydonovan said:

"Wow, if only the leaders of the world worked this hard for love... Instead of the opposite."

@jillsloinne wrote:

"And then he had to run another 2km before he found somebody to help. What a hero..."

@seanharrington shared:

"It's only the first week in February, but there won't be a greater story than this for the rest of the year..."

@vijayasubramanian loved:

"I love that he thought of Thomas the tank engine to keep him going."

@davidgraham praised:

"What a wee legend🫡"

@ladkadmankova wondered:

"I wonder what he'll grow up to... 😊💪"

More about everyday heroes

• Briefly News recently reported on actor Lukhanyo Kwenene publicly honouring his former teacher, crediting her with playing a life-changing role in his journey.
• The widow of Marius Van Der Merwe posted an emotional video of her late husband, with South Africans calling the fallen officer a hero.
• A snakehandler was praised online for his bravery when finding venomous creatures in people's homes.

Source: Briefly News