‘We Need a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Family Adrift Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the emergency operator, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, the sea and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The operator asks how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we must get a chopper to search for them,” he states.

Emergency services have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his relatives drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he voices his concern for his family members.

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

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His mum instructed him to use his craft and find help, so the youth set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 2km to retrieve a 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 emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were having fun when the children “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

The parent also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Rescue Effort

The boy described being “completely out of breath”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were found and brought to safety. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the parents' permission.

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

“They were in genuine danger, and time was absolutely critical given how long 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 calmly conveyed vital details.

When asked to identify the boards for the authorities, the boy said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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