We Require a Chopper to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Rescue Loved Ones Adrift Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the emergency operator, after swimming 4km in treacherous, open ocean and sprinting 2km to get assistance for his kin.

The call taker asks how long has elapsed since he began.

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

Authorities have disclosed the emergency phone call made last month after the youth departed from his loved ones floating at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

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

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been swept four kilometres out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother asked him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the teenager began, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he raced for 1.25 miles to retrieve a cell phone.

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

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later described that they were enjoying themselves when the children “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

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

The parent also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The youth explained being “extremely winded”.

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

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the group were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

The recording was released with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who oversaw the rescue mission said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The officer also highlighted how the teenager effectively communicated key facts.

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

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