‘We Need a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Aid Loved Ones Adrift Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We ended up adrift out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, having swum 2.5 miles in treacherous, open water and sprinting two kilometres to get assistance for his family.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to locate them,” he reports.

Police have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the teen left his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his worry for his kin.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the operator.

“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 4km out to sea in rough conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent instructed him to set out and get assistance, so the boy commenced, abandoning first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for two kilometres 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 operator.

“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 hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

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

“It kind of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

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 said.

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the group were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The emergency call was made public with the parents' permission.

A police sergeant who managed the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

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

The commander also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed vital details.

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

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