We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Lost Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in rough, the sea and running two kilometres to secure help for his family.

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

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a chopper to go find them,” he reports.

Police have made public the distress call made last month after the teen departed from his loved ones floating at sea off the WA coast to find rescuers.

His voice remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his fear for his family.

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

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

The Perilous Situation

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

His mum asked him to use his craft and get assistance, so the teenager began, discarding first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to access a phone.

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

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

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The mother later explained that they were having fun when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It sort of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

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

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

The Successful Mission

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were spotted and rescued. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

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

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also commended how the teenager clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to describe the boards for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were coloured 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. As we caught one.”