We Require a Chopper to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Adrift Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the emergency operator, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and sprinting two kilometres to secure help for his kin.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to go find them,” he reports.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he voices his fear for his family members.

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the operator.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

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

His mum urged him to set out and find help, so the youth commenced, abandoning first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he sprinted for two kilometres to get to a cell phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, 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 add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later described that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

“It kind of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The mother also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim ashore.

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

The Rescue Effort

The boy explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were located and saved. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.

The recording was released with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the operation 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 daylight fading.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also praised how the youth effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the search crew, the youth replied: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still attached, but they had this fishing line, and there was a catch on the line. As we caught one.”