We Require a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” the teenager explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and jogging two kilometres to secure help for his household.

The call taker questions how much time has gone by since he began.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he says.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

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

“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been swept four kilometres out to sea in rough conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum urged him to set out and get assistance, so the youth commenced, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for two kilometres to get to 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 emergency services.

“I’m located 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 extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on a break in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

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

The parent also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim to land.

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

The Rescue Effort

The boy explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was shared with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the equipment for the authorities, the teenager replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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