‘We Need a Aircraft to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Rescue Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, having swum 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and sprinting two kilometres to get assistance for his family.

The call taker inquires how long has gone by since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the boy left his relatives drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his worry for his family.

“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 go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother asked him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the youth set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to retrieve a cell phone.

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

“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 exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later explained that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

The parent also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim to land.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at about 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the group were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.

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

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

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

“What the teenager did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a rescue.”

The officer also praised how the boy effectively communicated key facts.

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

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