We Require a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Save Loved Ones Stranded Off Aussie Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, having swum 4km in rough, the sea and running 2km to summon rescue for his family.

The call taker asks how much time has elapsed since he began.

“[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.

Police have disclosed the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the youth left his relatives floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

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

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the person on the line.

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

The Perilous Situation

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

His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he sprinted for two kilometres to access a mobile phone.

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

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later recalled that they were playing around when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It kind of all became dangerous very, very quickly,” she said.

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

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

The Search Operation

The boy described being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The distress call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first departed, the group were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A police sergeant who oversaw the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The officer also commended how the boy effectively communicated key facts.

When asked to identify the equipment for the rescue team, the boy said: “They were green and white.”

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