We Must Have a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Family Stranded Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” the teenager informs the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim four kilometres in rough, open ocean and sprinting two kilometres to get assistance for his household.

The dispatcher asks how much time has passed since he set off.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he reports.

Police have released the recorded plea made previously after the teen left his relatives floating at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he voices his fear for his family.

“I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the dispatcher.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent urged him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the youth commenced, discarding first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 2km to retrieve a phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he states the emergency services.

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

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 parent later described that they were playing around when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

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

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Search Operation

The boy explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was released with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who oversaw the rescue mission said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“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 bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also highlighted how the teenager effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

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