We Must Have a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Emergency Call to Aid Relatives Adrift Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and running 2km to secure help for his household.

The dispatcher asks how much time has elapsed since he started out.

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

Authorities have disclosed the distress call made previously after the teen left his relatives floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he details his worry for his family members.

“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the dispatcher.

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

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

His mother asked him to set out and find help, so the teenager commenced, discarding first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to get to a cell phone.

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

“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 hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The mother later recalled that they were having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

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

The parent also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he could do it,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The youth described being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the 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, ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had drifted about 9 miles out to sea.

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

A forward commander who managed the operation said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The commander also highlighted how the boy clearly relayed vital details.

When asked to identify the equipment for the authorities, the youth replied: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this rod, and there was a catch on the line. Because we caught one.”