‘We Need a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Save Relatives Adrift Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, after swimming 4km in rough, open water and jogging two kilometres to summon rescue for his household.

The dispatcher questions how much time has passed since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he reports.

Authorities have made public the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives drifting at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

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

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the operator.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother instructed him to use his craft and get assistance, so the youth began, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he raced for two kilometres to access a mobile phone.

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

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

A Getaway in Peril

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

The mother later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Search Operation

The youth explained being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, many hours after they first departed, the group were found and brought to safety. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The emergency call was released with the parents' permission.

A senior officer who managed the operation said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in real trouble, 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 heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

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

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