Authorities have released the audio of an emergency call made by a 13-year-old boy who swam for hours to save his family after they were swept out to sea.
Austin Appelbee, his mother, brother and sister, from Perth, were on an inflatable kayak and paddleboards when they got into difficulty off the west coast of Western Australia.
Mum Joanne Appelbee, 47, asked her son to swim around 4km (2.5miles) to shore – where he then ran 2km to find a phone he could use to call the emergency services.
With Ms Appelbee’s permission, the Western Australia Police Force has released the audio of Austin’s call, on which he can be heard calmly explaining the life-threatening situation.
“Hello, my name is Austin and I’m outside [the] beach,” he says, before explaining that he has two siblings, brother Beau, aged 12, and sister Grace, eight.
“We went out on a kayak trip and a paddleboard trip, and we got took out to sea and we got lost out there,” he continues.
“We got lost around about, I don’t know what time it was, but it was a very long time ago. You know, we couldn’t get back to shore and mum told me to go back and get help, and then I haven’t seen them since.”
Austin then suggests: “I think we need a helicopter to go find them.”
“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to explain, I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia,” he adds.
When the emergency services operator checks that they have the correct information, Austin admits being “really scared” and explains: “I had a kayak, and then I had a bunch of water in it.
“It started to sink and I kept on, like, falling off it. So I decided to ditch the kayak and I decided to take off my life jacket, and I had to swim around about four kilometres facing the current.
“And like I’m really, I’m extremely tired. I think I have heatstroke and I feel like I’m about to pass out. I’m very dizzy.”
After Austin’s call, a multi-agency search and rescue response was coordinated and his family members were located clinging to a paddleboard at about 8.30pm local time – 10 hours after they had entered the water.
They were then safely brought back to shore by a volunteer marine rescue vessel.
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WA Police Force has praised Austin for “his composure and ability to make critical decisions”, with Forward Commander Acting Sergeant Andrew McDonnell adding: “What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary.
“His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”
