‘We Need a Helicopter to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Loved Ones Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager tells the emergency operator, after swimming 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to get assistance for his kin.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he reports.

Police have released the distress call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he confides in the operator.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His mother urged him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

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

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two 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 medical help because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

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

The parent also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the strongest and he was able to manage it,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The audio was shared with the mother’s permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the operation said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the authorities, the boy responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

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