We Require a Aircraft to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Family Adrift Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We got lost out there,” the teenager tells the 000 call handler, following a swim four kilometres in rough, open ocean and sprinting 2km to secure help for his household.

The operator inquires how long has passed since he set off.

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

Authorities have made public the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives drifting at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

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

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried four kilometres out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother urged him to use his craft and find help, so the teenager set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced for two kilometres to get to a cell phone.

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

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The holidaymakers was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were enjoying themselves when the children “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the most capable and he could do it,” she stated.

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “extremely winded”.

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

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The audio was released with the mother’s permission.

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

“They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the boy did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The commander also praised how the boy clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the boards for the authorities, the teenager responded: “They were a green and white colour.”

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