We Require a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Aid Loved Ones Lost Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the 000 call handler, having swum four kilometres in choppy, open ocean and running 1.25 miles to secure help for his family.

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

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to locate them,” he says.

Authorities have disclosed the emergency phone call made previously after the teen left his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

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

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the operator.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in grave peril.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother instructed him to set out and locate rescue, so the youth set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he raced for two kilometres to get to a cell phone.

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

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later described that they were playing around when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started drifting.

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

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The teenager explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first set out, the family were located and saved. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was released with the mother’s permission.

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

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

“What the teenager did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also commended how the boy effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to describe the equipment for the authorities, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish on there. As we caught one.”