‘We Need a Chopper to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” a 13-year-old boy tells the 000 call handler, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to summon rescue for his household.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to search for them,” he reports.

Emergency services have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the youth left his loved ones drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in grave peril.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy set off, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for 2km to access a phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

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

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

The mother also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” she said.

The Rescue Effort

The youth explained being “very puffed out”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were found and brought to safety. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The audio was made public with the parents' permission.

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

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

“What the boy did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also praised how the boy clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the rescue team, the youth said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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