We Require a Aircraft to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Rescue Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum four kilometres in choppy, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his family.

The dispatcher questions how long has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we must get a chopper to go find them,” he states.

Police have disclosed the distress call made last month after the teen left his family adrift at sea off the WA coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he voices his fear for his family members.

“I don’t know what their status is right now, and I’m terrified,” he confides in the operator.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

The family group had been pulled four kilometres out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent instructed him to use his craft and get assistance, so the youth commenced, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he sprinted 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 explains the call handler.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on vacation in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were having fun when the children “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

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

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

The Rescue Effort

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

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

The recording was made public with the mother’s permission.

A police sergeant who oversaw the rescue mission said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

The commander also praised how the teenager effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the rescue team, the teenager said: “They were a green and white colour.”

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