‘We Need a Aircraft to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Loved Ones Adrift Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the emergency operator, following a swim four kilometres in treacherous, open ocean and running 1.25 miles to get assistance for his household.

The call taker asks how long has elapsed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a helicopter to go find them,” he states.

Police have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

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

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he confides in the operator.

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

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent urged him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the youth began, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he raced for 2km to get to a 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 sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The mother later recalled that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

The mother also spoke of having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct 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 boy explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the group were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was made public with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who oversaw the rescue mission said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The commander also highlighted how the teenager clearly relayed key facts.

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

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