We Require a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Adolescent’s Emergency Call to Save Family Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim 4km in rough, the sea and sprinting 2km to get assistance for his household.

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

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he states.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his relatives adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his worry for his family members.

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

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been carried four kilometres out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports.

His parent asked him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy began, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 2km to retrieve a mobile phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance 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 collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later described that they were playing around when the children “ventured out too far”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It sort of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The parent also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to send her son to swim to land.

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

The Rescue Effort

The teenager described being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the group were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.

The recording was released with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was of the essence given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

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

The sergeant also praised how the youth calmly conveyed critical information.

When asked to identify the boards for the rescue team, the boy replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

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