‘We Need a Chopper to Go Find Them’: 13-Year-Old’s Emergency Call to Rescue Loved Ones Lost Off Australian Coast Unveiled
“We got lost out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the triple-zero dispatcher, having swum 4km in treacherous, open ocean and running 2km to summon rescue for his family.
The operator questions how much time has passed since he began.
“[It] was a very long time ago … I think they’re a long way from land. I think we need a chopper to go find them,” he says.
Authorities have released the emergency phone call made previously after the teen left his family floating at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers.
His demeanour remains lucid and collected, even as he expresses his fear for his family.
“I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m terrified,” he tells the person on the line.
“Mum said go get help … We were in grave peril.”
The Perilous Situation
The family group had been swept 2.5 miles out to sea in treacherous conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.
His mum instructed him to take his kayak and locate rescue, so the boy began, abandoning first his waterlogged vessel then his bulky flotation device to make the journey by swimming.
After getting to the beach – after an extensive period – he raced for 2km to access a phone.
“Hello, my name is Austin … I have younger siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he tells the emergency services.
“I’m positioned 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 extremely tired. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”
A Getaway in Peril
The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They began their trip from Geographe Bay around 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 dropped their paddles, and started being carried out.
“It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.
The parent also described having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to send her son to swim to land.
“I knew he was the strongest and he was able to manage it,” she stated.
The Search Operation
The youth explained being “extremely winded”.
“I just keep swimming, I do breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he said.
The call for help was made at approximately 6pm.
At roughly 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first began, the family were located and saved. They had floated about 9 miles out to sea.
The audio was shared with the parents' permission.
A police sergeant who oversaw the rescue mission said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”.
“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical 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 exceptional, and his actions were instrumental in bringing about a positive result.”
The officer also highlighted how the youth effectively communicated vital details.
When asked to describe the paddleboards for the rescue team, the boy responded: “They were green and white.”
“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing line, and there was a catch on the line. As we hooked one.”
