We Must Have a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Save Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the emergency operator, having swum 2.5 miles in choppy, open ocean and running 2km to get assistance for his household.

The call taker questions how much time has passed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a helicopter to go find them,” he says.

Emergency services have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his fear for his family.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the dispatcher.

“Mum said go get help … 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 mother instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the teenager commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for 1.25 miles 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 explain – I think I need an medical help because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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 mother later explained that they were having fun when the children “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It sort of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.

The mother also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to swim to land.

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

The Rescue Effort

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were found and brought to safety. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was made public with the parents' permission.

A police sergeant who managed the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also commended how the boy calmly conveyed critical information.

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

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