We Require a Helicopter to Locate Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Aid Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 4km in rough, open ocean and jogging 2km to get assistance for his household.

The call taker inquires how much time has gone by since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he says.

Police have made public the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his relatives drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His tone remains lucid and collected, even as he details his worry for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The family group had been swept 4km out to sea in rough conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent instructed him to set out and locate rescue, so the boy set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he ran for two kilometres to access a phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have a brother and sister, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the call handler.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were having fun when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Rescue Effort

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who managed the rescue mission said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What the boy did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The officer also praised how the youth effectively communicated key facts.

When asked to detail the boards for the search crew, the youth said: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still attached, but they had this rod, and there was a fish on there. Since we hooked one.”