We Require a Helicopter to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Relatives Lost Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim four kilometres in rough, open ocean and jogging two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

The call taker inquires how much time has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he says.

Authorities have made public the recorded plea made in recent weeks after the youth departed from his family drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he details his worry for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been pulled 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mum urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy began, ditching first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to cover the remaining stretch.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he ran for two kilometres to get to a phone.

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

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

A Vacation Gone Wrong

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

The parent later described that they were playing around when the kids “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

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

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

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

The Search Operation

The boy explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the family were spotted and rescued. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was made public with the parents' permission.

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

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

“What the boy did was truly remarkable. His heroic actions in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The commander also praised how the youth calmly conveyed critical information.

When asked to detail the boards for the authorities, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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