We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Save Loved Ones Lost Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, having swum four kilometres in rough, open water and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Emergency services have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the boy left his family adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his fear for his family members.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His parent urged him to use his craft and find help, so the boy commenced, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

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

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the call handler.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

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

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to swim to land.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

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

The recording was shared with the mother’s permission.

A forward commander who coordinated the operation said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed vital details.

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

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