Australian teen swims 2.5 miles for hours to save family swept out to sea

Australia Police say Austin Appelbee's determination and courage saved his family after they spent up to 10 hours in the water NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A 13-year-old boy swam for hours through rough ocean waters to save his family after they were swept out to sea off Australia’s coast, a heroic effort police say saved his mother and two younger siblings. Austin Appelbee recalled ditching his life jacket so it wouldn’t restrict his swimming before he set off alone on a nearly 4-hour-long, 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) swim that saw him battle huge waves until he ultimately reached shore and triggered a rescue that saved his mother, Joanne Appelbee, 47, his brother Beau, 12, and his sister Grace, 8, police said."The waves are massive and I have no life jacket on.… I just kept thinking, ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,’" Austin said on Tuesday. "And then I finally I made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed." The family, visiting from Perth, was using rented kayaks and paddle boards near Quindalup in Western Australia around midday Friday when strong winds and rough seas dragged them farther from shore. Austin initially tried to paddle for help on an inflatable kayak, but abandoned it when it began taking on water.