We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Rescue Relatives Adrift Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 4km in choppy, the sea and jogging 2km to secure help for his family.

The call taker questions how long has elapsed since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a chopper to go find them,” he reports.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the teen left his family drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he details his concern for his family.

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the teenager set off, discarding first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to get to a phone.

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

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

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The parent later recalled that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

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

The parent also described having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the most capable and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “completely out of breath”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the group were located and saved. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

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

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

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth calmly conveyed vital details.

When asked to identify the equipment for the authorities, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still on, but they had this rod, and there was a catch on the line. Since we hooked one.”