We Must Have a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Relatives Lost Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager explains to the emergency operator, following a swim four kilometres in choppy, open ocean and running two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he states.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his family floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his concern for his family members.

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

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

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum asked him to set out and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced for 2km to retrieve a phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the children “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

“It sort of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

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

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

The Successful Mission

The boy explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the group were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was of the essence given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

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

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

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