‘We Need a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Stranded Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in choppy, open ocean and running 2km to summon rescue for his kin.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a chopper to locate them,” he says.

Police have made public the recorded plea made last month after the youth departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he voices his worry for his kin.

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the person on the line.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

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

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the youth began, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 1.25 miles to retrieve a mobile phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were playing around when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

“It sort of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The mother also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the strongest and he had the ability to succeed,” she commented.

The Rescue Effort

The boy explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the family were located and saved. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The audio was made public with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who managed the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

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

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also commended how the teenager clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to detail the boards for the rescue team, the youth responded: “They were a green and white colour.”

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