When 13-year-old Austin Appleby set out across rough ocean waters, he wasn’t chasing adventure. Instead, he was fighting for his family’s survival.

In a story that has captured global attention, Austin swam roughly four kilometres through strong currents to reach shore and raise the alarm, after his mother and two siblings became stranded at sea. Yet beyond the remarkable physical feat lies a deeper story – one of prayer, faith and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Austin and his mum, Joanne, recently shared their story with Bec & Asa during Drive on Sonshine, revealing how their faith sustained them through one of the most terrifying days of their lives.

A desperate decision in the open ocean

The ordeal began when the family was swept out to sea while kayaking and paddleboarding. As the wind carried them further from shore, Joanne realised they needed help, and fast. Sending her teenage son into the open ocean alone was one of the most difficult decisions of her life.

“That was pretty agonising,” Joanne said. “It was literally your best chance. See if you can do it. I know you can.

She tried using the kayak herself, but it kept filling with water. “We had to make a decision very quickly because while we were trying to figure all this out, we were already being blown very far out,” she explained.

With no other options, Austin paddled away in the small kayak toward shore.

“God, give me strength”

However, the situation soon became even more dangerous. Not long after setting off, Austin’s kayak flipped, trapping him underneath.

“I got trapped under the kayak for about two minutes,” Austin said. “Twenty seconds before that happened, I said, ‘God, give me strength.’”

Somehow, he managed to free himself. “When I got back up, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a gift. I need to use it well.’ So I just started swimming.”

What followed was an exhausting four-kilometre journey through rough seas. Yet Austin says prayer helped him keep going. “After that, I said the Lord’s Prayer,” he explained. “My youth pastor teaches me how to pray, and that really helped me out.”

At times, he paused briefly to rest while continuing to pray. “Maybe I had a couple chats with God and Jesus… just asking how to get through this.”

The swimming test he failed

In a remarkable twist, Austin says he had actually missed the first week of his swimming lessons just days earlier, which led to him failing the VacSwim test the week before his ocean ordeal.

Why? Because he had been attending a Christian youth camp. “The whole reason I didn’t pass my swimming lessons was because I was at a Christian youth summer camp,” Austin explained.

During the camp, he says he witnessed powerful moments of faith and prayer. “There were like 20-plus miracles that happened. Someone’s scoliosis got healed overnight,” he said.

More importantly, the camp helped strengthen his faith and taught him how to pray – something he relied on heavily during the terrifying swim. “I learned a lot there,” Austin said. “I was building up my relationship with God.”

In hindsight, those lessons about prayer and trust became life-saving tools when the crisis hit.

A race against time

Austin knew the distance he needed to swim – four kilometres – because of a landmark near his dad’s house.

“There’s a railway line and you look four kilometres to see the signal,” he said. “So when I realised it was that far, I thought, ‘Oh gosh, this is going to be madness.’”

Despite exhaustion, he kept pushing forward. Eventually, Austin reached shore, only to find nobody there.

He then ran nearly half a kilometre along the beach searching for help. “People were very confused why I was sprinting and cold and everything,” he said.

When he finally found a phone and contacted emergency services, he collapsed from exhaustion. “I was really tired and sort of passed out,” Austin recalled.

A mother’s longest hours

While Austin fought his way to shore, Joanne and the two younger children were still stranded at sea. At first, Joanne assumed Austin had made it.

“When I couldn’t see him anymore, I thought he must have made it,” she said. But as the hours passed and the sun began to set, fear crept in.

“When the sun started to go down… I realised that probably help wasn’t coming,” she said. Still, she kept praying.

Eventually, search helicopters began circling overhead, though spotting them in the dark waves proved difficult. Then, just as hope was fading, the helicopter’s spotlight finally found them.

Faith in the darkness

Throughout the terrifying experience, Joanne says her faith helped sustain her. One moment in particular stands out.

“I looked up to the moon – the only source of light we had – and I said, ‘God, Mum, if you can hear me, will you please light the holy candle?’”

Later, she learned that her mother back home had unexpectedly lit a candle that same weekend while feeling unwell. “She said she had been sick all weekend and lit the candle,” Joanne said. “And I said, ‘You didn’t light it for you, you lit it for me.’”

For Joanne, it was a powerful reminder of the faith she grew up with.

An emotional reunion

After nearly ten hours in the water, rescue crews finally brought the family to safety. But Austin had already been taken to hospital.

Their first reunion wasn’t quite what they expected. “He was on his stretcher and I was on mine,” Joanne said. “We couldn’t get up to hug each other.”

Instead, they joked across the hospital room until they were finally able to embrace.

Growing faith after the rescue

For Austin, the experience has deepened his relationship with God. He credits lessons from church and youth group for helping him stay calm and focused during the ordeal.

“After this, I’m trying my best to get to church every week,” he said.

He’s even hoping to be baptised soon, though some people jokingly say the ocean already took care of that. “People are saying, ‘Austin, I reckon you’ve already been baptised in that water.’”

A family of heroes

While Austin’s incredible swim has rightly earned global recognition, his mum believes the whole family showed remarkable courage. Her younger children spent hours drifting at sea on paddleboards, waiting for rescue. “They were very, very brave,” Joanne said. “They were superheroes.”

Today, the family is focused on returning to normal life – school, work and everyday routines. But their story remains a powerful reminder of courage, faith and hope.

Because sometimes, in the darkest moments, faith is what keeps you moving forward – one stroke at a time.

You can listen to Bec & Asa’s full chat with Austin Appleby below.

And their full chat with Joanne is available here.