We Must Have a Chopper to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Save Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in choppy, open ocean and sprinting 2km to secure help for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how long has gone by since he began.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to locate them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made last month after the boy departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

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

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the operator.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been pulled four kilometres out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His parent instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for two kilometres to get to a mobile phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the children “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started drifting.

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

The parent also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Successful Mission

The youth recalled being “extremely winded”.

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

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.

The recording was shared with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the teenager did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The commander also highlighted how the youth calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the rescue team, the youth replied: “They were green and white.”

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