We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Aid Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager tells the 000 call handler, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his household.

The dispatcher asks how much time has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the youth left his loved ones floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

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

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

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

The Dangerous Incident

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

His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy set off, ditching first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he sprinted for 1.25 miles 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 states the operator.

“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 exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The mother later explained that they were enjoying themselves when the children “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

The mother also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she commented.

The Successful Mission

The youth explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he recalled.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

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

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

A senior officer who managed the rescue mission said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence 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 astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also commended how the teenager clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the rescue team, the teenager said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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