We Must Have a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Adrift Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim 4km in treacherous, open ocean and jogging 2km to summon rescue for his family.

The call taker questions how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he says.

Police have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the youth departed from his family drifting at sea off the WA coast to find rescuers.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he details his worry for his family members.

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the teenager set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for 1.25 miles to access a cell phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were having fun when the children “ventured out too far”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Search Operation

The youth described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the group were located and saved. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

The audio was shared with the parents' permission.

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

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

“What the boy did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a rescue.”

The commander also praised how the boy effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the search crew, the teenager replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

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