We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Distress Call to Save Family Lost Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the emergency operator, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open ocean and running two kilometres to summon rescue for his family.

The operator questions how long has elapsed since he began.

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

Emergency services have made public the distress call made previously after the youth left his family floating at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

His demeanour remains clear and calm, even as he details his fear for his family members.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he confides in the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Harrowing Ordeal

The holidaymakers had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mother asked him to use his craft and find help, so the boy commenced, abandoning first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – after an extensive period – he sprinted for two kilometres to access a mobile phone.

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

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

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later described that they were playing around when the children “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they lost their oars, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.

The parent also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to ask her son to swim ashore.

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

The Successful Mission

The teenager recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.

The emergency call was shared with the family’s permission.

A police sergeant who managed the operation said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

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

“What Austin did was incredibly brave. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also praised how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to identify the boards for the authorities, the boy responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

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