We Must Have a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Family Lost Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting 1.25 miles to secure help for his family.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a helicopter to locate them,” he states.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the boy left his family floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His voice remains steady and composed, even as he voices his fear for his kin.

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

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

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

His mother asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the youth commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for two kilometres to retrieve a cell phone.

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

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

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

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

“It sort of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she stated.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who managed the operation said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the boy did was incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The officer also praised how the youth effectively communicated vital details.

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

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