‘We Need a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Aid Family Lost Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in rough, the sea and sprinting 2km to summon rescue for his household.

The operator asks how long has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he reports.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the boy departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he voices his worry for his family members.

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

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

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the teenager set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for two kilometres to get to a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have a brother and sister, 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 add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

The holidaymakers was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later recalled that they were playing around when the kids “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

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

The mother also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

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

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

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

“They were in genuine danger, and time was of the essence given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

When asked to detail the paddleboards for the rescue team, the teenager replied: “They were coloured 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. Since we hooked one.”