‘We Need a Helicopter to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Save Family Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open water and running 1.25 miles to get assistance for his household.

The dispatcher asks how long has passed since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we need a chopper to locate them,” he says.

Authorities have disclosed the emergency phone call made last month after the youth left his relatives adrift at sea off the WA coast to fetch help.

His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his worry for his family.

“I am unsure of what their state is right now, and I’m really scared,” he confides in the operator.

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

The Dangerous Incident

The family group had been carried four kilometres out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mother instructed him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the boy commenced, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for two kilometres to access a mobile 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 positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also explain – I think I need an medical help because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Getaway in Peril

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

The parent later recalled that they were playing around when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

The parent also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to ask her son to swim to land.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he was able to manage it,” she commented.

The Rescue Effort

The boy explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The call for help was made at about 6pm.

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

The emergency call was made public with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who managed the search and rescue effort said the group 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 the teenager did was nothing short of extraordinary. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”

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

When asked to describe the equipment for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were coloured green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish on there. Because we managed to catch a fish.”