‘We Need a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Save Loved Ones Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” a 13-year-old boy informs the emergency operator, having swum 2.5 miles in choppy, open water and jogging two kilometres to get assistance for his kin.

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

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a helicopter to locate them,” he says.

Police have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his family adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he expresses his worry for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the person on the line.

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

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother urged him to set out and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, abandoning first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he raced for two kilometres to retrieve a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the call handler.

“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 utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The family was on a break in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were having fun when the children “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

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

The Search Operation

The teenager described being “extremely winded”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

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

The emergency call was shared with the mother’s permission.

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

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the boy did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a rescue.”

The officer also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed key facts.

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

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