Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

The Superhuman Teen Who Swam to Save His Family

Thirteen year old Austin Appelbee was enjoying a family vacation in Western Australia when strong winds suddenly pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak far out into Geographe Bay, leaving him separated from his mother Joanne and siblings Beau and Grace. The brave teenager attempted to paddle back in his kayak to get help but when it started taking on water he had to swim the remaining four kilometers with every second counting to save his family. Austin swam two hours with his life jacket then ditched it because the weight was slowing him down, swimming two more hours without flotation repeating to himself not today not today not today. When Austin finally collapsed on the beach exhausted he found strength to sprint two more kilometers to a phone, calmly telling emergency services he needed helicopters planes and boats because his family was out at sea.

Marine Rescue commander Paul called Austin’s efforts superhuman saying his detailed descriptions helped rescuers locate the family within hours 14 kilometers offshore clinging to a paddleboard after drifting eight to ten hours. Joanne later explained she kept saying she could not go on but her children were looking her in the eyes so she kept going earning her own hero status. The family was discharged over the weekend and visited rescue teams to say thank you with Austin now on crutches because doctors said his exertion equaled running two marathons. When asked what gave him power to accomplish such heroic acts Austin said he did not think it was actually him swimming but that it was God the whole time, and he kept praying saying he would get baptized if he made it through proving faith and determination can swim oceans.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-02/geographe-bay-rescue-boy-superhuman-swim/106296100

PrevPreviousEconomy Adds 130,000 Jobs, Beats Expectations
NextThis 32 Year Old Turned Dog Fostering Into A Half Million Dollar CareerNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

The World’s First Quantum Battery Could Change How Everything Charges

March 28, 2026

Everything you have ever charged, from your phone to your electric car, relies on the same basic chemistry that has powered batteries for well over a century. Australian scientists just took a meaningful step toward changing that entirely. A team led by CSIRO in partnership with the University of Melbourne

Read More
Happy News

Scientists Found A Switch Drives Alzheimer’s And Turned It Off

March 28, 2026

Scientists at Heidelberg University in Germany believe they have identified a hidden mechanism deep inside the Alzheimer’s-affected brain that may be one of the primary drivers of the disease, and they have found a compound that can switch it off. The research centers on two proteins that under normal conditions

Read More
Happy News

Paid Leave Access Expands To Millions of Americans

March 28, 2026

A record number of Americans now have access to paid leave for the first time in history, thanks to a steady wave of state-level action that has quietly transformed the landscape of workers’ rights over the past two decades. A new report from the National Partnership for Women and Families

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.