‘We Need a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Relatives Adrift Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim four kilometres in treacherous, open water and running two kilometres to summon rescue for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has passed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he states.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his loved ones floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His tone remains clear and calm, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he confides in the dispatcher.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for two kilometres to get to a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have a brother and sister, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the operator.

“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 completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were having fun when the kids “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

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

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the most capable and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

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

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was made public with the mother’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 of the essence given how long 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 astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the teenager effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the rescue team, the boy said: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still attached, but they had this rod, and there was a catch on the line. Since we hooked one.”