We Must Have a Chopper to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Loved Ones Adrift Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the emergency operator, having swum 4km in rough, the sea and sprinting two kilometres to get assistance for his kin.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has gone by since he set off.

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

Authorities have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the teen departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his worry for his family.

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

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he sprinted 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 explains the call handler.

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The mother also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim ashore.

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

The Rescue Effort

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 distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

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

The recording was made public with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who coordinated the rescue mission said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how much time 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 critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the search crew, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still attached, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish hooked. Because we managed to catch a fish.”