‘We Need a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Save Loved Ones Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the emergency operator, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting two kilometres to get assistance for his family.

The call taker inquires how much time has passed since he began.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a chopper to search for them,” he reports.

Police have made public the distress call made previously after the boy left his loved ones floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

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

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 4km out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His parent instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the youth began, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for 1.25 miles to access a mobile phone.

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

“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 exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on vacation in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later recalled that they were having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he had the ability to succeed,” she commented.

The Rescue Effort

The youth explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were located and saved. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was released with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The officer also praised how the youth calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the rescue team, the boy replied: “They were green and white.”

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