We Require a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Lost Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the emergency operator, following a swim 4km in rough, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to summon rescue for his family.

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

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he states.

Emergency services have released the distress call made previously after the boy left his relatives floating at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the person on the line.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried 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 set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced for 2km to retrieve a cell 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 operator.

“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 a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later explained that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.

The parent also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the most capable and he had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Rescue Effort

The youth described being “extremely winded”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

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

The audio was released with the mother’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

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

The sergeant also praised how the youth calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to identify the boards for the authorities, the boy said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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