We Must Have a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Adrift Off Down Under Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager tells the emergency operator, following a swim 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and running 2km to secure help for his kin.

The operator inquires how much time has elapsed since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth departed from his relatives floating at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the operator.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been swept 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum instructed him to set out and locate rescue, so the youth set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he sprinted for two kilometres to get to a cell phone.

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

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – 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 pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask 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 Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the family were located and saved. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A senior officer who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence 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 astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also commended how the boy calmly conveyed vital details.

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 attached, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish hooked. Since we caught one.”