We Require a Chopper to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Aid Loved Ones Lost Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in choppy, open water and sprinting 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how long has gone by since he began.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to search for them,” he reports.

Authorities have made public the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the teen left his family drifting at sea off the WA coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he voices his fear for his kin.

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he confides in the operator.

“Mum said go get help … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother asked him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his unwieldy PFD to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 2km 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 states the emergency services.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on vacation in Quindalup, two hundred kilometres south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later explained that they were having fun when the children “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 said.

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she stated.

The Search Operation

The teenager explained being “completely out of breath”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

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

The emergency call was shared with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

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

The officer also highlighted how the teenager calmly conveyed critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the rescue team, the youth responded: “They were green and white.”

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