We Require a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Aid Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the 000 call handler, after swimming four kilometres in choppy, open ocean and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

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

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

Authorities have released the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the WA coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he voices his worry for his family members.

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

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Perilous Situation

The holidaymakers had been swept four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum instructed him to use his craft and get assistance, so the teenager began, ditching first his sinking craft then his unwieldy PFD to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he sprinted for 2km to get to a mobile phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an medical help because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later explained that they were having fun when the children “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Search Operation

The youth recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just continued swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he recalled.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

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

The emergency call was made public with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who managed the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was of the essence given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What the boy did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a rescue.”

The officer also commended how the teenager effectively communicated critical information.

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

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