‘We Need a Chopper to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Save Family Adrift Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the 000 call handler, having swum 4km in choppy, the sea and running 2km to summon rescue for his family.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a chopper to search for them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his family floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he voices his worry for his family.

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The family group had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum asked him to set out and locate rescue, so the boy set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After reaching land – four hours later – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to get to a cell phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – 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 collapse.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later explained that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Rescue Effort

The teenager explained being “extremely winded”.

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

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first set out, the family were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the group 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 teenager did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the authorities, the youth replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

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