'I don't think I am a hero': Boy, 13, describes 'superhuman' swim to save family

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Austin Appelbee didn't know if his mother Joanne, brother Beau and sister Grace were still alive when he finally reached the shore, four hours after he left them in the water clinging to two paddleboards.

Miles out to sea off Australia's west coast - the waves getting bigger, the light beginning to fade - his mother feared he too may not have made it.

Only hours later, after Joanne finally spotted the rescue boat, did she know he was safe. By that time she and the children had drifted 14km (8.5 miles) offshore.

What had started as a family day at the beach had ended in a 10 hour ordeal for Joanne and her family. Austin's swim to raise the alarm was later described as "superhuman" by rescuers.

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ABC News/Briana Shepherd
Joanne and Austin with Beau, 12, and Grace, eight

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly3ezj3rg3o