We Must Have a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Save Relatives Stranded Off Down Under Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his family.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a helicopter to go find them,” he reports.

Emergency services have released the recorded plea made last month after the boy departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he details his concern for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the operator.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The family group had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother urged him to take his kayak and find help, so the boy set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he sprinted for 2km to get to a mobile phone.

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

“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 a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later explained that they were playing around when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

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

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

The Successful Mission

The teenager described being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the group were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The recording was released with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

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

“What the boy did was truly remarkable. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the boy effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to describe the equipment for the authorities, the teenager responded: “They were green and white.”

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