We Require a Helicopter to Search For Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Loved Ones Lost Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim four kilometres in treacherous, the sea and running two kilometres to get assistance for his family.

The call taker questions how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he states.

Authorities have released the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his relatives adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother asked him to set out and get assistance, so the youth began, discarding first his failing kayak then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

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

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the call handler.

“I’m positioned on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have hypothermia … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

The family was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later described that they were enjoying themselves when the children “drifted further than intended”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

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

The mother 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 had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Rescue Effort

The boy recalled being “extremely winded”.

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

The emergency call was made at about 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the group were found and brought to safety. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

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

A senior officer who managed the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

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

The commander also praised how the boy effectively communicated key facts.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the search crew, the teenager said: “They were coloured green and white.”

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