‘We Need a Helicopter to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Rescue Relatives Lost Off Down Under Coast Unveiled

“We got lost out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in choppy, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to secure help for his kin.

The call taker inquires how long has gone by since he began.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a helicopter to go find them,” he states.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his family floating at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

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

“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 serious danger.”

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been swept 4km out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother urged him to set out and find help, so the youth commenced, abandoning first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 2km to retrieve a phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he states the call handler.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance 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 holiday in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later described that they were playing around when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

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

The parent also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the strongest and he was able to manage it,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The boy recalled being “very puffed out”.

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

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first set out, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The recording was shared with the mother’s permission.

A police sergeant who oversaw the operation said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

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

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the boards for the search crew, the boy responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still on, but they had this fishing line, and there was a fish hooked. As we caught one.”