‘We Need a Aircraft to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Aid Family Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the emergency operator, having swum 4km in treacherous, the sea and sprinting 1.25 miles to secure help for his household.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports.

Police have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his fear for his kin.

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

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in massive trouble.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The family group had been carried four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother asked him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the teenager set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 2km to retrieve a cell phone.

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

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

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The parent later explained that they were playing around when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The parent also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was shared with the mother’s permission.

A police sergeant who managed the rescue mission said the group 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 light running out.

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

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth effectively communicated critical information.

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

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