We Must Have a Helicopter to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Urgent Plea to Save Family Stranded Off Australian Coast Disclosed

“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the triple-zero dispatcher, following a swim 4km in rough, open ocean and running 2km to summon rescue for his family.

The dispatcher asks how much time has passed since he began.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a chopper to search for them,” he says.

Police have released the emergency phone call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his family adrift at sea off the Western Australian coast to fetch help.

His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he details his fear for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their status is right now, and I’m really scared,” he tells the dispatcher.

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

The Perilous Situation

The family group had been swept 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum urged him to take his kayak and find help, so the teenager began, discarding first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he raced for 2km to retrieve 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 call handler.

“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 exposure … I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.”

A Vacation Gone Wrong

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.

The mother later recalled that they were playing around when the young ones “ventured out too far”. The conditions worsened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

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

The parent also described having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct 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 “very puffed out”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he recalled.

The distress call was made at about 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, many hours after they first began, the group were found and brought to safety. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea.

The emergency call was made public with the parents' permission.

A forward commander who coordinated the search and rescue effort said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in genuine danger, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also commended how the boy clearly relayed critical information.

When asked to identify the equipment for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were green and white.”

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