Austin Applebee managed to swim to shore and alert authorities that his family had been swept out to sea. - ABC/APA 13-year-old boy who was swept out to sea with his mother and two siblings saved his family by swimming four kilometers (2.5 miles) to shore for help “in rough conditions,” police in Australia said. The boy, Austin Appelbee, told CNN affiliate 9News that thinking of his family drove him on. Not today, not today, not today,’” he said. I did breaststroke, I did freestyle, I did survival backstroke,” Austin told the outlet.

Source: CNN February 03, 2026 15:17 UTC