‘We Need a Chopper to Go Find Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Save Relatives Stranded Off Down Under Coast Revealed

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, following a swim 2.5 miles in choppy, the sea and running 1.25 miles to secure help for his kin.

The dispatcher questions how long has gone by since he started out.

“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we must get a rescue aircraft to locate them,” he states.

Authorities have disclosed the recorded plea made previously after the teen left his loved ones drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to fetch help.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he details his fear for his family members.

“I have no idea about what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared,” he confides in the dispatcher.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”

The Dangerous Incident

The holidaymakers had been carried 4km out to sea in rough conditions while using kayaks and paddleboards.

His mum asked him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy set off, ditching first his failing kayak then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After getting to the beach – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 1.25 miles to retrieve a 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 call handler.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an paramedic because I think I have a dangerously low body temperature … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The woman later described that they were playing around when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The wind picked up, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.

“It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she said.

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

“I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she commented.

The Rescue Effort

The teenager explained being “very puffed out”.

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

The emergency call was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first set out, the family were located and saved. They had been carried about 14km out to sea.

The emergency call was shared with the mother’s permission.

A forward commander who oversaw the operation said the group was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

“They were in real trouble, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with night approaching.

“What the boy did was incredibly brave. His heroic actions in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a rescue.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the boy effectively communicated vital details.

When asked to identify the boards for the search crew, the youth replied: “They were a green and white colour.”

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