🔗 Share this article We Require a Aircraft to Locate Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Rescue Family Adrift Off Aussie Coast Unveiled “We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and jogging 2km to secure help for his household. The call taker asks how long has passed since he started out. “[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports. Police have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth departed from his relatives floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help. His voice remains clear and calm, even as he details his fear for his kin. “I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the operator. “Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.” The Harrowing Ordeal The family group had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards. His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy began, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance. After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to get to a cell phone. “Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the operator. “I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.” A Getaway in Peril The group was on vacation 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 having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started floating away. “It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said. 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 was able to manage it,” she stated. The Rescue Effort The youth explained being “very puffed out”. “I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained. The distress call was made at around 6pm. At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea. The audio was made public with the parents' permission. A police sergeant who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”. “They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with light running out. “What Austin did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.” The commander also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed critical information. When asked to describe the paddleboards for the search crew, the teenager replied: “They were green and white.” “And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing line, and there was a fish on there. As we hooked one.”
“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee informs the 000 call handler, following a swim 2.5 miles in rough, the sea and jogging 2km to secure help for his household. The call taker asks how long has passed since he started out. “[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports. Police have released the recorded plea made previously after the youth departed from his relatives floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help. His voice remains clear and calm, even as he details his fear for his kin. “I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the operator. “Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.” The Harrowing Ordeal The family group had been carried 2.5 miles out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards. His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy began, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance. After making it to shore – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to get to a cell phone. “Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the operator. “I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have hyperthermia, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.” A Getaway in Peril The group was on vacation 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 having fun when the kids “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started floating away. “It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said. 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 was able to manage it,” she stated. The Rescue Effort The youth explained being “very puffed out”. “I just continued swimming, I do breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained. The distress call was made at around 6pm. At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had floated about fourteen kilometres out to sea. The audio was made public with the parents' permission. A police sergeant who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”. “They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how long they had been in the water and with light running out. “What Austin did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a positive result.” The commander also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed critical information. When asked to describe the paddleboards for the search crew, the teenager replied: “They were green and white.” “And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing line, and there was a fish on there. As we hooked one.”