We Require a Helicopter to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Save Loved Ones Lost Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and running 2km to get assistance for his kin.

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

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he reports.

Authorities have disclosed the emergency phone call made last month after the youth departed from his loved ones drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the person on the line.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been swept four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the boy commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to access a 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 sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she said.

The Search Operation

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The audio was made public with the mother’s permission.

A police sergeant who managed the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was of the essence given how much time 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 commander also commended how the boy effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to detail the boards for the search crew, the boy said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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