‘We Need a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Rescue Loved Ones Stranded Off Down Under Coast Unveiled

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to secure help for his kin.

The call taker questions how long has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he reports.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the youth left his relatives drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he voices his worry for his family members.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

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

His parent instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the youth set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he sprinted for 2km 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 emergency services.

“I’m positioned 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 completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The mother later recalled that they were having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

The mother also spoke of having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he was able to manage it,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The boy explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the group were located and saved. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A senior officer who coordinated the search and rescue effort said the family 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 bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also commended how the youth calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to describe the equipment for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were coloured 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 managed to catch a fish.”