We Require a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Rescue Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and jogging two kilometres to secure help for his kin.

The dispatcher questions how long has gone by since he started out.

“[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 distress call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His tone remains clear and calm, even as he details his fear for his family.

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the boy set off, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he raced for two kilometres to access a cell phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … 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 family was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later described that they were playing around when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

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

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

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he recalled.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

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

A police sergeant who oversaw the rescue mission said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What the boy did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The commander also commended how the boy calmly conveyed critical information.

When asked to describe the boards for the rescue team, the teenager replied: “They were green and white.”

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