A 13-year-old Australian boy has been [hailed / failed] a hero after an epic swim that saved [his / this] family. The boy, Austin Appelbee, and his family were on a beach holiday in Western Australia. They were kayaking and paddleboarding in [swallow / shallow] water when strong winds pushed them farther [onshore / offshore] . They ended [down / up] over four kilometres away from land, and the daylight was [fading / faded] . Austin decided to kayak to shore to get help. However, the waves had damaged his kayak, which had taken [in / up] water and flipped over. He said he then lost [a Noah / an oar] and knew he was in trouble. He decided he had [no / not] alternative but to swim back to land. He swam through shark-frequented waters to raise the [alarming / alarm] .
Austin [made / did] it to the beach and phoned [to / for] help. This sparked a huge rescue operation, which resulted [in / on] coastguards finding the teenager's mother and two younger sisters. The boy said: "I hit the bottom of the beach and I just [relapsed / collapsed] , and then, after that, I had to [sprint / sprinter] two kilometres to get to the phone." Rescuers called his efforts "superhuman". One rescuer said Austin's actions could not "be [reprised / praised] highly enough". He added that the teenager's "determination and [courage / courageous] [ultimately / untimely] saved the lives of his mother and [sibling / siblings] ." Austin's mother Joanne, 47, told reporters: "The wind picked up. We lost oars, and we drifted out further. It was an [absolute / absolutely] nightmare."
