We Require a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Relatives Stranded Off Aussie Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager informs the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in rough, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his kin.

The dispatcher asks how much time has elapsed since he set off.

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

Authorities have made public the distress call made previously after the teen left his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the dispatcher.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been swept four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His parent asked him to use his craft and find help, so the boy commenced, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for 2km to access a mobile phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 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 conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

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

The mother also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to swim to land.

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

The Rescue Effort

The youth explained being “completely out of breath”.

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

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was shared with the family’s permission.

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

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a rescue.”

The commander also highlighted how the boy effectively communicated vital details.

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

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