‘We Need a Helicopter to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Rescue Loved Ones Stranded Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” the teenager informs the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open water and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The call taker asks how much time has gone by since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a chopper to locate them,” he states.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made previously after the teen departed from his relatives floating at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

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

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said go get help … We were in massive trouble.”

The Perilous Situation

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

His mum instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy began, abandoning first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – 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 call handler.

“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 utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

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

The mother also described having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The recording was released with the mother’s permission.

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

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The commander also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to detail the paddleboards for the authorities, the youth replied: “They were green and white.”

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