A WA teenager who swam four kilometres to get help for his mother and siblings after they were swept out to sea has been reunited with the rescuers who helped him save his family.

Austin Appelbee was on holiday with his mother Joanne and his two siblings in Quindalup, about 250 kilometres south of Perth, when they ran into trouble in rough swells after setting out from the beach on rented kayaks and paddleboards.

It sparked a miraculous rescue mission, which started with Austin’s marathon swim to shore, before the 13-year-old ran another two kilometres to make a critical Triple Zero (000) call for help.

A month after their ordeal made global headlines, the Appelbee family returned to the South West on Saturday to thank the marine rescue volunteers, WA police and St John ambulance crews who brought them back to safety.

‘I’m not a hero’

While thanking the people who came to his aid, Austin said he did not see himself as a hero, and instead praised his mum and his siblings, who looked after each other as they drifted in the ocean for hours.

“I didn’t even call myself a hero, honestly,” he said.

“Thanks for saving my family. All I really did was just raise the alarm.”

“It’s nice being called a hero, but these guys over here are the real heroes and so are [my siblings].”

After making the heart-wrenching decision to send Austin to raise the alarm, Joanne spent the next eight hours trying to stop her two youngest children, eight-year-old Grace and 12-year-old Beau, from drowning.

By the time the trio was found about 8:30pm, they had been stranded in the ocean for 8 to 10 hours and had drifted 14 kilometres offshore.

‘Still shocked’

Beau Appelbee was emotional about returning to the location where they were rescued and at one point was embraced by his sister Grace as he gave his heartfelt thanks to rescuers.

“Coming here today, I’m so happy to thank everyone and learn how they found us and how hard it was to find us,” he said.

“I’m still shocked they could even see us. I’m so thankful to still be here. I’m thankful for my brother’s swim and my sister who kept me calm.

“We have all had our struggles since then, a lot of physical and mental pain. Me and my mum can’t sleep properly.

“I’m trying to fix that, but it’s hard, I have no words to express how happy I am to be here today and to be alive, it was one in a million.”

As they clung to the paddleboards that Joanne had tethered together with leg ropes, she did her best to keep their spirits high by singing and telling them stories, but in reality she was mentally preparing for them to die as it got darker and colder.

Global attention ‘overwhelming’

While giving her thanks, Joanne said she had “lost hope” they were going to be rescued.

She said the global attention the family had received had been unexpected, with Joanne saying it had been overwhelming.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, absolutely awesome, and all kids have done so well. They’re all heroes in their own way,” she said.

“Austin was fantastic with the swim he did to raise the alarm and the other two were amazing staying on the paddleboards so long.”

The family’s remarkable story resonated with people all over the world and won praise from an experienced adventurer who lauded Joanne’s rational decision-making.

‘Pretty special day’

Paul Bresland from Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue recalled waiting with bated breath for news of the family’s condition on the radio, after a crew from Marine Rescue Busselton plucked them from the ocean.

“When we heard they were all responsive and standing, yeah it was pretty bloody good,” he said.

Mr Bresland said it was great to see the Appelbee family all smiling after their distressing ordeal.

“I wouldn’t want to see the alternative, it’s absolutely brilliant,” he said.

“It’s pretty special today to see them all smiling and talking.”

Peter Taylor, from Marine Rescue Busselton, was the skipper on the boat that pulled the family out of the water after the helicopter guided their way.

“We proceeded to pick [Joanne] out of the water first and she was fairly stressed because the other two children were about 30 metres away,” he said.

“Once the chopper directed us to where they were, we picked them up and once Joanne found that the two were on board, she was pretty happy about that.

“She also didn’t know that Austin had made it to shore and once she found that out she was very, very relieved.”

Mr Taylor said the rescue was a joint effort with the water police, ambulance crews and police, who all did a “fantastic job”.

Father ‘still in disbelief they survived’

Grace, the youngest of the family, did not say much in front of the camera other than she was happy to be here to say thank you to her rescuers.

Grace’s father Justin said it was remarkable how Grace was able to stay out on the ocean for hours and be the one to keep their mother calm.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of them all and I’m still in disbelief they survived,” he said.

Justin said the children were taught from a young age not to panic in stressful situations.

“None of them panicked, they held it together,” he said.

“Like Beau said, if any one of them had panicked … they would have all been lost but someone was looking down upon them.”

Justin said he could not fathom how Austin had the mental fortitude to keep going under such “tricky circumstances”.

“He knew the gravity of the situation, he knew what he was up against and what he left behind, and found a way to do it,” he said.

Despite their traumatic experience, the family bravely took a dip in the water on Saturday afternoon in the same spot they were rescued.

Austin said it would be his first time in the ocean since his superhuman swim, but conceded he wouldn’t be going paddleboarding any time soon.