We Must Have a Aircraft to Search For Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Aid Family Stranded Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the 000 call handler, after swimming 4km in rough, the sea and sprinting 2km to secure help for his kin.

The dispatcher inquires how long has passed since he set off.

“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a rescue aircraft to search for them,” he reports.

Police have made public the distress call made in recent weeks after the boy departed from his relatives floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to seek assistance.

His tone remains steady and composed, even as he details his concern for his kin.

“I am unsure of what their condition is right now, and I’m extremely frightened,” he informs the dispatcher.

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

The Perilous Situation

The mother and children had been pulled 4km out to sea in rough conditions while enjoying water sports.

His mum urged him to use his craft and find help, so the youth commenced, abandoning first his waterlogged vessel then his cumbersome lifejacket to make the journey by swimming.

After making it to shore – four hours later – he ran for 1.25 miles to access a mobile 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 operator.

“I’m located on the beach right now, and I have to also mention – I think I need an ambulance because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m completely exhausted. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 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 were separated from their equipment, and started being carried out.

“It kind of all turned bad very, very quickly,” she remarked.

The mother also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the strongest and he had the ability to succeed,” she stated.

The Successful Mission

The boy explained being “completely out of breath”.

“I just keep swimming, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained.

The distress call was made at around 6pm.

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

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

A forward commander who coordinated the rescue mission said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.

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

“What the teenager did was truly remarkable. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also highlighted how the boy effectively communicated key facts.

When asked to identify the paddleboards for the authorities, the teenager replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

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