We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Adrift Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and sprinting 2km to summon rescue for his family.

The operator questions how long has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he reports.

Emergency services have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the boy departed from his relatives floating at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

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

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been swept four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy commenced, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to access a cell phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The woman later described that they were having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

The mother also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim to land.

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

The Rescue Effort

The youth recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The audio was made public with the mother’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

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

The officer also praised how the youth clearly relayed critical information.

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

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