‘We Need a Chopper to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Loved Ones Lost Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, having swum 4km in choppy, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how much time has gone by since he started out.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to go find them,” he says.

Police have released the distress call made last month after the teen departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the operator.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been carried four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum instructed him to use his craft and get assistance, so the youth began, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – four hours later – he sprinted for 2km to get to a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two 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 explain – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

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

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

The mother also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to swim to land.

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

The Search Operation

The boy recalled being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was shared with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

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

“What the boy did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The commander also highlighted how the boy effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to identify the boards for the authorities, the youth responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

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