“We got lost out there,” the teenager explains to the emergency operator, following a swim four kilometres in treacherous, the sea and running 1.25 miles to secure help for his family.
The operator inquires how much time has passed since he started out.
“[It] was quite some time back … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we must get a chopper to search for them,” he says.
Emergency services have disclosed the emergency phone call made previously after the teen departed from his family floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.
His voice remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his worry for his family members.
“I have no idea about what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the person on the line.
“Mum said to find rescue … We were in massive trouble.”
The Perilous Situation
The mother and children had been carried 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.
His mum asked him to use his craft and get assistance, so the teenager began, abandoning first his sinking craft then his bulky flotation device to swim the distance.
After making it to shore – after an extensive period – he ran for two kilometres to access 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 paramedic because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”
A Holiday Turned Crisis
The holidaymakers was on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January.
The parent later described that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The breeze strengthened, they were separated from their equipment, and started drifting.
“It sort of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she said.
The parent also referenced having to make “a terribly difficult call” to ask her son to swim to land.
“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 the breaststroke, I do front crawl, I do survival backstroke,” he recalled.
The emergency call was made at around 6pm.
At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first set out, the group were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about 14km out to sea.
The recording was shared with the mother’s permission.
A senior officer who oversaw the search and rescue effort said the group was in an “incredibly perilous state”.
“They were in real trouble, and time was of the essence 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 exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”
The officer also highlighted how the teenager calmly conveyed critical information.
When asked to identify the equipment for the search crew, the youth said: “They were coloured green and white.”
“And I’m not sure if it’s still attached, but they had this fishing rod, and there was a fish hooked. As we hooked one.”
