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

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the emergency operator, having swum 4km in rough, open water and running two kilometres to secure help for his kin.

The operator questions how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a chopper to search for them,” he says.

Authorities have released the distress call made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the person on the line.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

The holidaymakers had been swept 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy began, discarding first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he sprinted for two kilometres to access 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 states the emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The holidaymakers was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the children “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she said.

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he could do it,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The boy described being “extremely winded”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was shared with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the group 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 night approaching.

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

The commander also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to describe the equipment for the search crew, the boy responded: “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 fish on there. As we hooked one.”