🔗 Share this article ‘We Need a Helicopter to Locate Them’: Teenager’s Urgent Plea to Aid Family Adrift Off Australian Coast Unveiled “We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin. The operator questions how long has gone by since he set off. “[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he reports. Police have released the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his loved ones drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers. His tone remains lucid and collected, even as he details his worry for his family. “I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the operator. “Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.” The Dangerous Incident The family group had been carried 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports. His parent asked him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the youth began, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance. After reaching land – after an extensive period – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to access a mobile phone. “Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he states the emergency services. “I’m sitting 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 utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.” A Getaway in Peril The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January. The woman later described that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started drifting. “It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she remarked. The parent also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim to land. “I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she said. The Search Operation The boy recalled being “extremely winded”. “I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained. The distress call was made at about 6pm. At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea. The recording was released with the parents' permission. A senior officer who oversaw the operation said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”. “They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with light running out. “What Austin did was incredibly brave. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.” The officer also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed critical information. When asked to describe the equipment for the rescue team, the teenager responded: “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. Since we managed to catch a fish.”
“We ended up adrift out there,” young Austin Appelbee explains to the emergency operator, following a swim 2.5 miles in treacherous, the sea and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin. The operator questions how long has gone by since he set off. “[It] was ages past … I think they’re far offshore. I think we require a chopper to search for them,” he reports. Police have released the recorded plea made last month after the teen left his loved ones drifting at sea off the Western Australian coast to find rescuers. His tone remains lucid and collected, even as he details his worry for his family. “I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the operator. “Mum said to seek assistance … We were in grave peril.” The Dangerous Incident The family group had been carried 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while enjoying water sports. His parent asked him to use his craft and locate rescue, so the youth began, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to swim the distance. After reaching land – after an extensive period – he sprinted for 1.25 miles to access a mobile phone. “Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he states the emergency services. “I’m sitting 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 utterly fatigued. I have sunstroke, and I feel like I’m about to faint.” A Getaway in Peril The group was on holiday in Quindalup, 125 miles south of Perth. They set off from Geographe Bay following 10am on a Friday in late January. The woman later described that they were having fun when the young ones “went out a bit too far”. The conditions worsened, they lost their oars, and started drifting. “It pretty much all turned bad very, very quickly,” she remarked. The parent also spoke of having to make “one of the hardest decisions” to instruct her son to swim to land. “I knew he was the most capable and he was able to manage it,” she said. The Search Operation The boy recalled being “extremely winded”. “I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do elementary backstroke,” he explained. The distress call was made at about 6pm. At about 8.30pm, a full ten hours after they first departed, the stranded individuals were located and saved. They had been carried about 9 miles out to sea. The recording was released with the parents' permission. A senior officer who oversaw the operation said the family was in an “desperately dangerous position”. “They were in serious jeopardy, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with light running out. “What Austin did was incredibly brave. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were exceptional, and his actions were crucial in bringing about a successful outcome.” The officer also highlighted how the boy calmly conveyed critical information. When asked to describe the equipment for the rescue team, the teenager responded: “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. Since we managed to catch a fish.”