We Require a Aircraft to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Emergency Call to Save Relatives Lost Off Australian Coast Revealed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the triple-zero dispatcher, after swimming four kilometres in choppy, open water and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

The call taker inquires how much time has elapsed since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we must get a helicopter to go find them,” he states.

Emergency services have released the distress call made previously after the teen left his loved ones floating at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His voice remains clear and calm, even as he expresses his fear for his kin.

“I have no idea about what their status is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he tells the operator.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in grave peril.”

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been pulled 2.5 miles out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His mother urged him to set out and locate rescue, so the youth set off, discarding first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for 1.25 miles 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 states the emergency services.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also add – 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 pass out.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The family was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay around 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the children “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they lost their oars, and started being carried out.

“It sort of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also referenced having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to make the swim for help.

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

The Rescue Effort

The youth explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do a floating stroke,” he explained.

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At about 8.30pm, many hours after they first departed, the group were spotted and rescued. They had been carried about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

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

A senior officer who coordinated the operation said the group was in an “extremely dire situation”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how much time they had been in the water and with daylight fading.

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His bravery and courage in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a positive result.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the youth clearly relayed key facts.

When asked to describe the paddleboards for the authorities, the youth responded: “They were green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s still on, but they had this rod, and there was a fish on there. Since we hooked one.”