The brave 13-year-old who saved his stranded family by battling rough seas for four kilometres failed a state swimming program before his heroic act – as Aussies slam beachgoers who failed to help the young boy.
Joanne Appelbee, 47, and her three children were found 14km from the shoreline at Quindalup – 250km south of Perth – after strong winds pushed their kayaks and inflatable paddleboards out to sea on Friday afternoon.
Her eldest, Austin, heroically swam to shore, completing the first two kilometres in his life jacket before abandoning it for the final stretch.
He eventually made it out of the water, where his detailed descriptions of the rented kayaks and paddleboards helped rescuers locate his family in under an hour.
But it has since been revealed that Austin failed VacSwim, a state program that gives children aged five to 17 skills to stay safe and build confidence in the water.
‘I was speaking to his father, and I said: “He must be a strong swimmer”,’ Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland told ABC Perth on Tuesday.
‘He said: “They just finished the vacational swimming and he failed”, and I said “Well, make sure you get the teacher to ring me”.’
Royal Life Saving WA chief executive Peter Leaversuch told 7NEWS that Austin’s heroics had outshone any performance test.
‘I had a chuckle [about the VacSwim stuff],’ he said.
‘As instructors and educators we hope what was communicated to him was that he didn’t fail, it was more that he hadn’t performed all the elements just yet and he needed to continue practising.
‘For us, it’s a journey. I accept the irony of it. Clearly he can do it and I’ll be the first to hand him the bronze medallion. His heroic act outstrips any performance test.’
Austin’s story has captured both national and international attention, with unanimous praise for his determination.
However, some have criticised beachgoers after Austin revealed he had to sprint for 2km to call emergency services at his hotel after his mammoth swim.
Others called for commenters to focus on the 13-year-old’s heroic efforts, with one person saying he should be nominated for Young Australian of the Year.
Another suggested Austin would enjoy a career in the special forces.
‘I am very impressed with this young man’s abilities. Huge effort to you and the rescue team. May I suggest a naval career? SAS in the making,’ they wrote.
A third added: ‘SAS level of grit and determination. Incredibly selfless and brave. This kid deserves a bravery award and public adulation.
‘These are the kind of people we need to inspire others not celebrities and reality TV!’
On the day of the incident, Ms Appelbee, Austin, 12-year-old Beau and eight-year-old Grace signed out two paddleboards and a kayak from beachfront resort Club Wyndham in Dunsborough, less than three hours south of Perth.
It is understood the gear had been booked from 10am to midday, but the family did not hit the water until after 11am.
WorkSafe is aware of the incident and is making preliminary inquiries with the hotel. The Daily Mail has contacted the hotel for comment.
The hotel told 7NEWS it had launched its own review.
‘Our guests are free to use resort equipment on a complimentary basis until late in the day. Our staff had no reason to be alarmed,’ the spokesperson said.
Guests are aware that the beach is outside the resort grounds, is unpatrolled, and that there is no direct view of the beach from the resort.’
Police said the incident has been referred to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Austin told reporters he repeated to himself ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’ during the hours-long effort to get help.
‘I just said… “not today, not today”. I did breaststroke, I did freestyle, I did backstroke. I hit the bottom of the beach and just collapsed,’ Austin told Sky News on Tuesday. ‘And after that, I had to sprint 2km to get to the phone.’
The family was assessed by paramedics and taken to Busselton Health Campus.
They thanked rescue crews after being discharged from hospital over the weekend.
