‘We Need a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming 2.5 miles in rough, open water and jogging 2km to summon rescue for his kin.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Authorities have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the teen departed from his relatives adrift at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his worry for his family.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the dispatcher.

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

The Perilous Situation

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

His mother asked him to use his craft and get assistance, so the youth set off, abandoning first his failing kayak then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

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

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

“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 exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on holiday 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 parent later explained that they were playing around when the children “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

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

The mother also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she stated.

The Search Operation

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

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

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The recording was made public with the parents' permission.

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

“They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

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

The commander also commended how the teenager clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to describe the equipment for the authorities, the youth responded: “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 fish hooked. As we hooked one.”