We Must Have a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Save Relatives Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager tells the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open water and running 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his household.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he states.

Emergency services have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth left his relatives drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the dispatcher.

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

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been swept 4km out to sea in rough conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent asked him to set out and find help, so the boy set off, abandoning first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he ran for two kilometres to get to 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 sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The parent also spoke of having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he had the ability to succeed,” she commented.

The Successful Mission

The boy described being “completely out of breath”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the group were located and saved. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was shared with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who managed the rescue mission said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the equipment for the search crew, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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