We Must Have a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Aid Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the emergency operator, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and jogging 2km to get assistance for his family.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he states.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the teen departed from his loved ones floating at sea off the WA coast to find rescuers.

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

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His mum asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy began, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – 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 states the emergency services.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – 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 collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The woman later described that they were enjoying themselves when the children “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she noted.

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she said.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first set out, the group were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth effectively communicated critical information.

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

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