We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Family Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” the teenager explains to the 000 call handler, following a swim 4km in choppy, open water and sprinting 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The call taker questions how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to locate them,” he reports.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the youth left his loved ones adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

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

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

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother urged him to set out and locate rescue, so the boy set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for 2km to retrieve a phone.

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

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The group was on a break in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

“It kind of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she remarked.

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

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

The Rescue Effort

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

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

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The emergency call was released with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who oversaw the operation 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 night approaching.

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

The commander also commended how the boy effectively communicated key facts.

When asked to describe the boards for the rescue team, the boy said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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