We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Aid Relatives Lost Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, following a swim four kilometres in rough, open ocean and sprinting 1.25 miles to get assistance for his kin.

The operator inquires how much time has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he says.

Authorities have released the emergency phone call made last month after the boy left his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his concern for his family.

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the youth set off, abandoning first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to retrieve a 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 sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The holidaymakers was on a break in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were playing around when the children “ventured out too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

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

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

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

The Search Operation

The boy explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

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

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

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

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

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

The commander also commended how the teenager effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to describe the equipment for the rescue team, the teenager replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

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