We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Distress Call to Save Family Lost Off Aussie Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the 000 call handler, having swum 2.5 miles in choppy, open water and jogging 1.25 miles to secure help for his household.

The call taker questions how long has passed since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a helicopter to locate them,” he says.

Police have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the youth left his loved ones floating at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m really scared,” he informs the dispatcher.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been carried 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the youth commenced, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he raced for 2km to retrieve a cell 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 positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The parent later recalled that they were playing around when the kids “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

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

The mother also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to swim to land.

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

The Successful Mission

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

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

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

The audio was made public with the family’s permission.

A senior officer who managed the operation said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

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

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

The sergeant also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed key facts.

When asked to identify the equipment for the search crew, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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