It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and the Olympics have officially kicked off, so there’s going to be a lot of athletic heroics in the news.

A 13-year-old Australian lad performed some real heroics, however, going to amazing lengths to save his mom, sister, and brother. He may not receive a gold medal, but he certainly deserves one. He didn’t just paddle a little ways out to save his loved ones — he swam for four hours. 

Incredible:

Austin Appelbee, 13, swam for four hours in freezing Geographe Bay to save his mother Joanne, brother Beau, and sister Grace after they were swept offshore in Western Australia.

In an act of courage and love, a 13-year-old boy from Perth swam for four hours in freezing seawater to save his mother and two younger siblings after they were swept offshore in Western Australia.

The incident occurred on January 30, while the family was on vacation in Quindalup. According to a report by The Guardian, strong winds and colossal waves caused the family — including Austin Appelbee, his mother Joanne (47), brother Beau (12), and sister Grace (8)– to get swept into Geographe Bay.

What force gave him the power to do these heroic acts at such a young age? Appelbee said it came from above:

"I don't think it was actually me [swimming]... It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, kept on praying. I said to God, 'I'll get baptized.'"

Austin Appelbee, a 13-year-old boy from Perth, Western Australia, heroically swam about 4 km through rough seas for four hours to… pic.twitter.com/Km1I75tGDl

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) February 4, 2026

Austin Appelbee, a 13-year-old boy from Perth, Western Australia, heroically swam about 4 km through rough seas for four hours to get help after his family was swept far offshore, ultimately saving his mother and siblings. He openly credited God for giving him the strength, saying he prayed constantly, sang Christian songs in his mind, and promised to get baptized if he survived.

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Incredibly, the young superboy didn’t just swim for miles, he ran for a few too:

At the time of the incident, they were reportedly using hired paddleboards and a kayak. The 13-year-old boy, now being described as a “superhuman", had a conversation with his mother and paddled his kayak back towards the shore, swimming for an incredible four hours to reach there.

Little Austin swam the first two hours with a life jacket, but later ditched it because it was causing him to slow down.

After reaching the shore, he collapsed from exhaustion but managed to sprint for another two kilometres to find a phone and alert the rescuers at around 6 P.M.

"Not today," he proclaimed:

This is incredibly moving. ?

A 13-year-old showing that kind of courage, clarity, and selflessness in life-threatening conditions is beyond words. Austin Appelbee didn’t just fight the ocean for hours he fought fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty, all to save his family. pic.twitter.com/WMT02UxAtd

— Diggy (@Digvija73188705) February 4, 2026

Because of his efforts, rescuers were able to locate the family members and rescue them, and they are all safe and in good health. Good on you, mate.

Sometimes, you gotta just keep swimming. Now, granted, Ellen DeGeneres has turned out to be yet another leftist wackadoodle, but she was on the mark here:

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