We Require a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Save Loved Ones Adrift Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the emergency operator, after swimming four kilometres in rough, open ocean and running two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Police have made public the recorded plea made previously after the boy departed from his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his concern for his family members.

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he confides in the dispatcher.

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

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been carried 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His parent asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the teenager set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced for 2km to access a 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 located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later described that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he was able to manage it,” she said.

The Rescue Effort

The youth described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he recalled.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first set out, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The recording was shared with the parents' permission.

A police sergeant who coordinated the rescue mission 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 Austin did was incredibly brave. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The officer also commended how the boy clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the rescue team, the boy replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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