We Must Have a Aircraft to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Aid Loved Ones Adrift Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in treacherous, open ocean and running 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his household.

The call taker asks how much time has passed since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he states.

Emergency services have made public the recorded plea made previously after the boy left his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he details his fear for his family members.

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

“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been carried 4km out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the teenager commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

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

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

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

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

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to swim ashore.

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

The Successful Mission

The boy described being “very puffed out”.

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

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first set out, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The recording was made public with the parents' permission.

A police sergeant who coordinated the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the boy did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also praised how the youth calmly conveyed vital details.

When asked to describe the boards for the authorities, the boy replied: “They were green and white.”

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