We Must Have a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Save Loved Ones Adrift Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” the teenager informs the emergency operator, having swum 2.5 miles in rough, open water and jogging two kilometres to get assistance for his kin.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Police have made public the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the operator.

“Mum said go get help … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to retrieve a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have a brother and sister, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the operator.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she noted.

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he had the ability to succeed,” she said.

The Search Operation

The boy described being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first set out, the family were located and saved. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was shared with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The commander also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to detail the paddleboards for the authorities, 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 line, and there was a fish on there. Because we managed to catch a fish.”