We Require a Helicopter to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Rescue Relatives Stranded Off Aussie Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the emergency operator, after swimming 2.5 miles in rough, open ocean and sprinting 1.25 miles to get assistance for his family.

The dispatcher inquires how long has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we require a chopper to locate them,” he reports.

Police have made public the emergency phone call made last month after the teen departed from his loved ones adrift at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the person on the line.

“Mum said go get help … We were in massive trouble.”

The Perilous Situation

The mother and children had been swept 4km out to sea in treacherous conditions while enjoying water sports.

His parent asked him to set out and get assistance, so the teenager began, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he raced for 1.25 miles to retrieve a mobile phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the emergency services.

“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 hypothermia … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Holiday Turned Crisis

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

The woman later recalled that they were playing around when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.

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

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

The Successful Mission

The youth explained being “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at approximately 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first set out, the stranded individuals were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.

The audio was released with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, 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 bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed critical information.

When asked to describe the boards for the search crew, the boy said: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this rod, and there was a catch on the line. As we caught one.”