We Require a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Distress Call to Rescue Family Lost Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and running 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his family.

The operator questions how much time has passed since he started out.

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

Police have disclosed the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains steady and composed, even as he details his concern for his family members.

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the operator.

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

The Harrowing Ordeal

The mother and children had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother instructed him to take his kayak and get assistance, so the boy began, ditching first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – four hours later – he ran for 1.25 miles 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 states the operator.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an medical help because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

The family was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she noted.

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to ask her son to make the swim for help.

“I knew he was the most capable and he had the ability to succeed,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The youth recalled being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do survival backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were located and saved. They had floated about 14km out to sea.

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

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

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

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

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

When asked to identify the equipment for the search crew, the youth responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

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