We Require a Aircraft to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Unveiled

“We got lost out there,” the teenager tells the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in choppy, the sea and jogging two kilometres to get assistance for his household.

The call taker questions how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a chopper to locate them,” he says.

Emergency services have disclosed the distress call made previously after the boy left his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His tone remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his concern for his family members.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the operator.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the youth set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance.

After reaching land – four hours later – he raced for 1.25 miles 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 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 sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group 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 enjoying themselves when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to swim ashore.

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

The Rescue Effort

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

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

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What the boy did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a rescue.”

The commander also commended how the teenager clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to identify the equipment for the rescue team, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this rod, and there was a catch on the line. Since we hooked one.”