‘We Need a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Save Relatives Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy explains to the emergency operator, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and running 2km to get assistance for his kin.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he states.

Authorities have made public the distress call made previously after the teen departed from his loved ones floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his concern for his family.

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

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

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum urged him to use his craft and find help, so the boy commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for 1.25 miles to access 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 explains the operator.

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

A Getaway in Peril

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

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

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

The parent also spoke of having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The youth explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he recalled.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the family’s permission.

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

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

“What the teenager did was nothing short of extraordinary. His heroic actions in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

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

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish hooked. Because we managed to catch a fish.”