13yo Aussie 'hero' swims 4km through stormy seas to save his family's lives

A heroic and brave move from a young Aussie teen to save his family during a kayaking mishap is one you’ve gotta hear from him yourself to believe.

Thirteen-year-old Austin Applebee went out for a family day at sea on Friday, January 30, kayaking in Quindalup in Western Australia’s South West region.

But the weather quickly turned for the worst, leaving Austin, his mum, his twelve-year-old brother, and eight-year-old sister stranded 4km offshore for more than eight hours.

“I was really scared,” he told 7 News Australia. “I was just thinking in my head, if I'm going to make it through.”

With daylight fading and rough waves creating serious danger, the chance of rescue seemed almost impossible -until Austin made a brave decision to save his family.

He swam all the way back to shore through rough conditions to alert rescue crews.

“I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” mum Joanne said.

“I would have never gone, because I wouldn’t have left the kids at sea, so I had to send somebody,” she added.

For Austin, thinking about his friends and peers from school and his youth group gave him the determination to survive what could have been a devastating outcome for his family.

“I just said, ‘Not today, not today, I have to keep on going,’” Austin recalled.

“I thought they were dead. I had a lot of guilt in my heart,” he added about leaving his family behind.

Meanwhile, Joanne’s biggest fear grew as daylight faded. She worried her son hadn’t made it to safety.

But he sure bloody did. After four hours of swimming and an extra 2km run, Austin had given his family a chance to be rescued.

Two hours later, Joanne and Austin’s siblings were found clinging to a paddleboard, and he has been hailed a "hero".

After the story spread across news sites in Australia, Joanne copped a lot of heat for “questionable parenting”, but many have defended her, including Australian rapper Iggy Azalea.

“Put yourself in the family’s shoes: You’re on vacation, it’s lunchtime on a sunny day. You head out with the family and rent some water equipment… they hire it to you, no issue, no warning about potential conditions changing,” the ‘Fancy’ hitmaker wrote.

“Are you checking the water in case of freak/abrupt changes? I’m doubtful any of us would, let’s be real,” she added.

“Show some compassion and support,” another commenter wrote. “The kid’s a superstar.”

He sure bloody well is. And that bravery is exactly why a story like this deserves to be celebrated.