We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Family Lost Off Aussie Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the emergency operator, having swum four kilometres in treacherous, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The call taker asks how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to locate them,” he says.

Police have disclosed the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his fear for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state 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 Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother urged him to set out and find help, so the youth began, ditching first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for 1.25 miles to get to 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 emergency services.

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

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later explained that they were playing around when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

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

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

The Successful Mission

The boy described being “completely out of breath”.

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

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

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

The audio was made public with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

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

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

When asked to describe the boards for the search crew, the boy said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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