We Must Have a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Save Relatives Lost Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, having swum 4km in choppy, the sea and sprinting 1.25 miles to secure help for his household.

The dispatcher questions how long has passed since he began.

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

Police have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his relatives floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his fear for his family members.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been carried 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum asked him to use his craft and find help, so the teenager set off, abandoning first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced 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 emergency services.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – 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 Holiday Turned Crisis

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

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

“It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

The parent also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she commented.

The Rescue Effort

The boy explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the mother’s permission.

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

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

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

The officer also commended how the teenager effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to identify the boards for the authorities, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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