‘We Need a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Aid Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” the teenager explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in choppy, open water and sprinting 2km to get assistance for his family.

The operator questions how long has passed since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a chopper to locate them,” he reports.

Police have disclosed the distress call made in recent weeks after the youth left his loved ones floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he details his concern for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he confides in the operator.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

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

His mother asked him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, abandoning first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he raced for 1.25 miles to retrieve 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 emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, 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 began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were playing around when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

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

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

“I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” she stated.

The Rescue Effort

The teenager explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who coordinated the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

When asked to detail the equipment for the search crew, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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