We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Aid Family Lost Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, after swimming 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and running 2km to get assistance for his kin.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a chopper to go find them,” he states.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the youth departed from his relatives floating at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

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

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the dispatcher.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been pulled 4km out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His parent instructed him to set out and locate rescue, so the teenager set off, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for 2km to retrieve a 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 positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The parent later described that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It sort of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

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

“I knew he was the strongest and he was able to manage it,” she said.

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

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

The emergency call was released with the family’s permission.

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

“They were in genuine danger, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also praised how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the boards for the rescue team, the boy replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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