Overview
- The family had been paddleboarding and kayaking at Quindalup in Geographe Bay on Friday when strong offshore winds pushed them far from shore.
- After his kayak took on water, 13-year-old Austin Appelbee swam about 4km over roughly four hours, ditching his lifejacket midway, reached land around 6 p.m. and ran about 2km to raise the alarm.
- WA Water Police, volunteer marine rescue crews and a state rescue helicopter searched and located his mother Joanne, 47, and siblings Beau, 12, and Grace, 8, clinging to a paddleboard around 8:30 p.m. about 14km offshore.
- The three were brought to shore, assessed by St John WA and taken to Busselton Health Campus, then discharged over the weekend after recovering.
- Officials praised the teen’s determination and emphasized that lifejackets aided the trio’s survival as they warned about rapidly changing conditions and the risks of inflatable craft.