We Must Have a Chopper to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Family Lost Off Down Under Coast Disclosed

“We ended up adrift out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the 000 call handler, after swimming 2.5 miles in choppy, the sea and jogging 2km to summon rescue for his kin.

The dispatcher questions how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a chopper to go find them,” he states.

Police have released the emergency phone call made previously after the teen left his family floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his worry for his kin.

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the dispatcher.

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

The Dangerous Incident

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

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

After making it to shore – four hours later – he raced for two kilometres to retrieve a cell phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The woman later described that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

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

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to swim to land.

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

The Successful Mission

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was shared with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who coordinated the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also praised how the youth clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to detail the paddleboards for the rescue team, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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