13-Year-Old Australian Boy Swims 4 Hours to Save Drowning Family, Credits God

• A 13-year-old boy, Austin Appelbee, from Perth, swam for four hours in freezing seawater to rescue his mother and two younger siblings after they were swept offshore in Western Australia.
• The incident occurred on January 30 in Geographe Bay, Quindalup, when strong winds and colossal waves swept the family, who were using paddleboards and a kayak, into the sea.
• Austin swam for two hours with a life jacket before ditching it to maintain speed, then collapsed from exhaustion upon reaching shore but ran two kilometres to alert rescuers.
• A multi-agency search, including helicopters and boats, located and rescued his mother Joanne (47), brother Beau (12), and sister Grace (8) from the water around 8:30 P.M.
• Austin credited God for his strength, stating, "It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, kept on praying. I said to God, 'I'll get baptised'."

Why It Matters: A 13-year-old Australian boy displayed extraordinary courage, swimming for hours to save his family.