We Must Have a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Rescue Relatives Stranded Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim four kilometres in rough, open water and jogging 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his family.

The operator questions how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the boy left his loved ones adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

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

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the person on the line.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum instructed him to set out and locate rescue, so the teenager began, abandoning first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he sprinted for 2km to retrieve 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 located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were playing around when the children “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It sort of all turned bad 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 strongest and he had the ability to succeed,” she said.

The Search Operation

The boy explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

The audio was released with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“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 remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the rescue team, the teenager replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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