‘We Need a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Loved Ones Lost Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, having swum 4km in rough, the sea and jogging 1.25 miles to secure help for his kin.

The dispatcher questions how long has gone by since he began.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to search for them,” he reports.

Police have disclosed the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his family drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his concern for his family members.

“I have no idea about 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 grave peril.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother urged him to use his craft and find help, so the teenager commenced, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he raced for 2km to get to a mobile phone.

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

“I’m positioned 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 completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were having fun when the children “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Successful Mission

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was released with the mother’s permission.

A police sergeant 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 incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to describe the equipment for the authorities, the boy said: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish on there. Because we caught one.”