We Must Have a Chopper to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Family Stranded Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in treacherous, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to secure help for his family.

The call taker asks how much time has passed since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he says.

Authorities have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he details his fear for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in massive trouble.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

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

His mum urged him to take his kayak and find help, so the boy commenced, ditching first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for two kilometres to retrieve a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two 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 mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “went out a bit 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 remarked.

The parent also described having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim ashore.

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

The Rescue Effort

The youth explained being “completely out of breath”.

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

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was made public with the mother’s permission.

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

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

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

The officer also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to identify the boards for the search crew, the teenager replied: “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 catch on the line. As we hooked one.”