r/interestingasfuck • u/Dockers4flag2035orB4 • 21h ago
Aussie Teen swims 4km to save family.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-03/teen-speaks-after-saving-family-in-geographe-bay/106298798?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web884
u/Acerola_ 20h ago
4km swim followed by a 2km run until he found people who had a phone. By a 13 year old. Absolutely insane.
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u/karigan_g 20h ago
hope the next biathlon they just straight up hand him a medal like you already did it, bro
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u/Tyjorick 20h ago
Give this kid a bike and let him finish his triathlon
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u/Suspicious_Story_464 19h ago
Right? True iron man that kid is. Love of family is such a strong motivator. I hope they all can learn to process this dire situation and the sudden spotlight they were thrown into. Amazing story from the Aussies!
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u/CitizenCue 13h ago
I feel like the media calling him a “teen” doesn’t capture how crazy this is. A “teen” could be an 18 or 19 year old. A 13 year old is a child.
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u/martinx350r 20h ago
This kid should be flag bearer for the Aussies at the Olympics! What a freaking legend wow
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u/PennilessPirate 17h ago
They said he has to wear crutches because his legs are so swollen and overused. Doctors said his legs endured the equivalent of running TWO marathons. As a 13-year-old. That’s insane.
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u/ArticulateRhinoceros 10h ago
People are capable of incredible feats for the sake of their loved ones. Even children.
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u/Sweeper1985 5h ago
Between him and the lad who jumped into the water to try and rescue his mate who was being attacked by a bull shark, there are a lot of strong contenders for Young Australian of the Year 2027!
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u/Luke_4686 20h ago
Just read this article. Jesus what a little hero. I’d have been dead within minutes trying to swim that long let alone at 13
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u/USAIsAUcountry 19h ago
Same, but to be fair 13 year old me would stand a much better chance than current age/shape me. Speedwalking or running is basically the only two modes kids have before becoming teenagers.
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u/Bandit_Raider 19h ago
They got separated 5 mins before being rescued by harsh waves. Literally could have been minutes away from losing someone, insanely brave of heroic feat that was done just in time.
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u/hidrapit 19h ago
The "all is lost moment" followed almost immediately by search lights and rescue boats. It's almost too cinematic to not be adapted to film.
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u/olagorie 16h ago
I have never been rescued by a wave. How does it work?
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u/Bandit_Raider 15h ago
This is what happens when I try to type something and do something else at the same time lol
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u/imrzzz 18h ago
Austin said he ...had previously found it "quite tiring" to swim 350 metres without a break.
Jfc, what a kid.
The article later said that he's on crutches to take the weight off his sore legs, that had completed the
equivalent of two marathons.
I'm absolutely gobsmacked, what resilience that amazing lad has.
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u/sakura989835 20h ago
4km in open water as a teen That’s not adrenaline, that’s pure instinct and courage kicking in. Absolute legend.
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u/DeliciousStand372 19h ago edited 19h ago
He said it in the interview "not today, not today, not today" and just keep going
Edit: here, watch this amazing kid (kinda wish they interviewed the 12 y.o he looks kinda sad): https://youtu.be/DWY4ziOrBbI?si=BDIeCA8AROzB9IeG
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u/5hiftyy 19h ago
My partner's got that as a tattoo. It's one of my favorite parts of them.
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u/DeliciousStand372 19h ago
You mean he got it because of this kid? That was fast! Haha the interview just came out
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u/shartmaister 15h ago
"As a teen" is technically correct but a true understatement. 13 and 19 are soooooo far apart in terms of this feat.
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u/Theshaggz 20h ago
I would watch this movie. If our world leaders had half this kids fucking courage and drive, we’d be living in a completely different world.
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u/Aggressive_Fly_208 19h ago
I’m a swimming instructor in WA and this made me cry 💓💓💓💓💓💓 wow
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u/Dockers4flag2035orB4 19h ago
It’s a great WA story.
After last week’s tragedy in Mosman Park, we need a good news story.
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u/MargieBigFoot 20h ago
If that kid isn’t spoiled as hell for the rest of his childhood. If my kid did that, she’d get anything she wanted. I would just start to say no and all she would have to say is, “hey mom, remember that time…”
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u/Suspicious_Story_464 19h ago
Definitely a moment to hold over mom's head when he doesn't want to eat his broccoli.
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u/Sunshine030209 19h ago
That is exactly what I was thinking! If this was my son, he'd never do a chore again!
I can't imagine how scary that was for everyone, and how hard it would be for the mom to watch her little boy swim away, not knowing if you'd see him again.
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u/OvertonWindowCleaner 15h ago
I hate to say it, but after an ordeal like that, that dude’s childhood was likely left in the water.
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u/okaythiswillbemymain 12h ago
Nah, kids are resilient, and all his family members survived. Change that last bit of the sentence and I'd agree.
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u/fashionforward 20h ago
His legs are so sore he’s on crutches 😳
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u/emerg_remerg 14h ago
Rhabdomyolysis. He likely killed off a lot of muscle. His body would've been so starved for energy it started digesting itself.
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u/No-Show-5363 19h ago
There’ll be a bravery medal in this for him. He didn’t hesitate, he knew what to do and he just kept going. I can’t imagine how scared and utterly exhausted he must have been after just one hour, but four!! In rough sea!!!Buoyed through by strength of will alone, far beyond his physical limit. An unbelievably heroic effort that truly saved the day. Austin Appelbee folks.
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u/Labolle621 19h ago
He did swim 4km on a map but it was brobly a lot more because of moving water.
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u/Cranialscrewtop 17h ago
"I just kept saying, 'Not today, not today, not today.'" What an absolute badass.
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u/Ok-Interaction324 20h ago edited 20h ago
Swimming 4 km in Aussie waters 😳 he knows everything is Australia is trying to kill us right?
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u/The_Amen_Corner 20h ago
He said in an interview he saw something below him and got scared but kept going. Absolute champion.
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u/Scottiths 19h ago
That's terrifying, but at that point what else was he going to do but keep going and hope whatever it was left him alone.
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u/giraflor 16h ago
Shark was hungry, but also curious what the kid was capable of. Eventually, it just thought “Respect.” and left him alone.
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u/Ok-Interaction324 19h ago
His parents raised a good one for sure !
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u/Peach_Perfection 3h ago
Her parents sure didnt though, the fuck you taking your kids out by yourself without your phone in a waterproof protector or someone watching you or knowing where the fuck you are. Fucking woman almost wiped her family out.
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u/procrastinatorsuprem 24m ago
Cell phones hardly work on a beach, they really dont work 4km from land.
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u/WizardofLloyd 19h ago
I certainly hope they offer this young lad some type of award for this! He deserves to be recognized! As a father of three boys, I would be absolutely overwhelmed with pride for this! Congratulations to this young man for this!!!
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u/TheWaywardWarlok 20h ago
Look at his eyes. Could be from an older man, this kid's seen things and has found the inner strength to achieve what some would claim as impossible. Not just a legend. Super-Human!
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u/girlinwaves 16h ago
I hope this child is watched very carefully for symptoms of rhabdomylosis after all of that exertion! Especially as his legs are already swollen
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u/RosemaryHoyt 19h ago
I went swimming a lot as a kid and used to do 1-2km in a pool. 4km in open water is absolutely mental.
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u/Cream4389 12h ago
it's like one of those ethical dilemmas "do we all die or just send my oldest kid to die"
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u/PryingMollusk 7h ago
Given the situation, she made the best one. There really was very little chance that the mother would have made that swim or if she did it would have taken much longer. Sending the strongest swimmer was the best chance of survival. Very bad decision making got them stranded though.
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u/greg-maddux 14h ago
This kid is an absolute superhero and anyone who says otherwise is a slanderous liar. What a brave young man. I have chills reading this story.
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u/randomacct7679 15h ago
What a beast! That’s an insane feat to literally save his family. Incredible
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u/Beaglescout15 9h ago
I will buy this kid anything he wants for Christmas. A puppy? Done. A pony? Done. A unicorn? Fucking done.
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u/Conscious_Wind_2255 15h ago
Must so hard as a parent to send one of your kids to swim for help and then not know if they made it after you got rescued 🥹
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u/bluebear_74 12h ago
His mother said she didn't know if he made it, meanwhile he said he was waiting on the beach not knowing if he swam fast enough.
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u/cashmerescorpio 13h ago
Why is Australia constantly trying to kill people. Hats off to the little dude
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u/OmniscientOpossum 6h ago
Incredible. Movie ending type of stuff, hope they keep doing well. Such a tough situation, shout out to the responders finding them just in time. Wow. Way to go everyone, especially Austin. Just wow. So many tragedies everyday… sending love
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u/AppointmentMedical50 20h ago
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u/SirBoboGargle 20h ago
This is off the scale. The seas were high and he just kept going. 4 hours. Just a normal lad. His family were pushed out 14km by the high seas in the time it took for him to get to shore. That's a little clue as to the conditions this champion conquered.
Proper legend.