‘We Need a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the 000 call handler, after swimming 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and jogging 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has elapsed since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he says.

Emergency services have released the distress call made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his loved ones floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the youth commenced, abandoning first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 2km to access a mobile 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 positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later recalled that they were having fun when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started drifting.

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

The mother also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to swim to land.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “completely out of breath”.

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

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

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

The emergency call was made public with the mother’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the operation said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a rescue.”

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

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the authorities, the youth responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

“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.”