Boy (13) swims four hours to save family swept out to sea

A 13-year-old Australian boy swam for four hours through dangerous waters to get help after his family was swept out to sea.

Young Austin Appelbee was on holiday with his family in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth, when strong winds pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore from Geographe Bay on Friday.

His mother, Joanne, explained that she was playing in the water with Austin and his two younger siblings when the wind quickly picked up.

As the family floated out, she asked Austin to swim to get help.

“He swam 4km, on top of the distance he had already kayaked, and as he got to shore, he had a 2km run to try and get help. [He was] hailed by a maritime rescue group as extraordinary, brave and strong,” said world news correspondent Adam Gilchrist.

To listen to Gilchrist in conversation with 702’s Bongani Bingwa, use the audio player below: