We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Family Stranded Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in rough, the sea and jogging 1.25 miles to secure help for his family.

The dispatcher asks how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to go find them,” he states.

Authorities have made public the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his fear for his kin.

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

“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 treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent instructed him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the teenager began, ditching first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he ran for 1.25 miles to access a cell phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an medical help because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The mother later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It sort of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.

The mother also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

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

The Successful Mission

The teenager explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

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

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

A senior officer who managed 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 nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also commended how the youth effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the search crew, the boy said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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