We Must Have a Aircraft to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the 000 call handler, having swum four kilometres in treacherous, open ocean and jogging 1.25 miles to summon rescue for his kin.

The call taker asks how long has gone by since he started out.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports.

Emergency services have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the boy left his loved ones adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.

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

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

“Mum said to seek assistance … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

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

His mother instructed him to take his kayak and find help, so the boy set off, discarding first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he sprinted for two kilometres to access a cell 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 operator.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The holidaymakers 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 described that they were playing around when the kids “ventured out too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

The parent also referenced having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Successful Mission

The youth described being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he recalled.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At around 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the stranded individuals were spotted and rescued. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The emergency call was made public with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who oversaw the operation said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

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

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to detail the equipment for the authorities, the teenager said: “They were green and white.”

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