We Must Have a Chopper to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Loved Ones Lost Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his family.

The dispatcher asks how much time has passed since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he says.

Emergency services have released the recorded plea made last month after the youth left his loved ones floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His tone remains clear and calm, even as he details his worry for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been swept 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum urged him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for two kilometres to access 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 emergency services.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on a break in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres 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 young ones “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The parent also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

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

The Search Operation

The boy explained being “extremely winded”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the family were located and saved. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A senior officer who oversaw the operation said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The commander also praised how the teenager clearly relayed critical information.

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

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