We Require a Helicopter to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Save Family Stranded Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” the teenager explains to the emergency operator, after swimming four kilometres in choppy, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to secure help for his household.

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

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Emergency services have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his loved ones drifting at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he voices his fear for his family members.

“I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

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

His parent asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the teenager set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for two kilometres to access a cell phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have a brother and sister, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he states the call handler.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an medical help 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 family was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later explained that they were playing around when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

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

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

The Successful Mission

The youth described being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was shared with the family’s permission.

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

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

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

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

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

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