We Must Have a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Rescue Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” the teenager informs the emergency operator, having swum 4km in rough, open water and running 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his kin.

The operator inquires how much time has gone by since he set off.

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

Police have released the distress call made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his family drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The holidaymakers had been carried four kilometres out to sea in rough conditions while enjoying water sports.

His parent urged him to set out and get assistance, so the boy began, abandoning first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he sprinted for two kilometres to access 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 call handler.

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

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The holidaymakers was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were having fun when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The parent also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Successful Mission

The teenager recalled being “completely out of breath”.

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

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The audio was released with the parents' permission.

A police sergeant who coordinated the rescue mission said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a rescue.”

The officer also praised how the teenager clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to identify the equipment for the authorities, the boy replied: “They were green and white.”

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