“WE NEED A HELICOPTER”
The chilling emergency call made by an Australian teen after swimming for hours to save his family has now been released. Out of breath, fighting exhaustion, he didn’t ask for himself — he asked for help for them.
The moment in the call that’s giving rescuers goosebumps…
February 11, 2026 — Western Australia Police, with permission from Joanne Appelbee, released a portion of the Triple Zero (000) call her 13-year-old son Austin made on January 30 after his extraordinary ordeal in Geographe Bay.
The family — Joanne (47), Austin (13), Beau (12), and Grace (8) — had been swept far offshore during a paddleboarding and kayaking outing near Quindalup, about 200 km south of Perth. Strong winds and currents turned a fun afternoon into a fight for survival. Joanne sent Austin alone to seek help while she stayed with the younger children on a paddleboard.
Austin swam roughly 4 km (2.5 miles) through rough, cold, shark-patrolled waters — fighting adverse currents for parts of the journey — then ran another 2 km along the beach to find a phone (his mother’s, left near their starting point). He dialed emergency services around 6 p.m., voice remarkably steady despite four hours of grueling exertion and emerging hypothermia.
In the audio — shared by outlets like ABC News, CNN, The Guardian, 9News, and others — Austin begins clearly: “Hello, my name is Austin… I’m outside on the beach.” He explains: “We went out on paddleboards and a kayak… we got lost out there… Mum told me to go get help… I haven’t seen them since.”
He lists details with precision: siblings Beau (12) and Grace (8), family swept “kilometres out to sea,” need for urgent search. Then comes the line that echoes across headlines: “I think we need a helicopter to go find them.”
He doesn’t stop there. Out of breath but composed, he adds: “I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we need a helicopter to go find them.” He requests “helicopters, planes, boats” in some accounts of his initial urgency, but the released clip captures the calm, focused plea for aerial help — recognizing that darkness was closing in and surface searches alone might not suffice.
What gives rescuers — and listeners worldwide — goosebumps is the pivotal moment near the end. After providing all the critical info, Austin quietly admits: “I don’t know what their condition is right now, and I’m really scared.”
The words land softly, almost understated. Here was a boy who had just pushed his body to superhuman limits — swimming against currents, battling cold and fatigue — yet his primary concern remained his family. Not his own pain, not the hypothermia he calmly reported (“I think I need an ambulance because I think I have hypothermia… I’m extremely tired”), but the unknown fate of his mum and siblings drifting in the dark ocean.
Emergency operators and responders later described the composure as “extraordinary” and “level-headed.” His clear, actionable details — including the specific request for a helicopter — accelerated the response. The helicopter located Joanne, Beau, and Grace around 8:30 p.m., about 14 km (nearly 9 miles) offshore after up to 10 hours in the water. All were rescued safely.
The audio’s release has gone viral, with clips replayed millions of times. People freeze at that final confession — a 13-year-old’s honest vulnerability after doing the impossible. Comments flood in: “The way he stays calm for them… chills.” “He put them first even when he was breaking down.” Rescuers from Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue and police noted the call’s precision likely saved precious time in a narrowing visibility window.
Austin, hospitalized briefly for hypothermia, learned his family was safe upon waking. In interviews, he downplayed everything: “I just did what had to be done.” His mother called it faith and strength; the family continues recovery amid global admiration.
The call isn’t dramatic shouting or panic — it’s quiet resolve. A teenager, voice steady through exhaustion, prioritizing rescue for others before acknowledging his own fear.
That single, heartfelt “I’m really scared” — after everything — is the moment that hits hardest. It reminds us heroism can sound like a child’s calm voice in crisis, putting loved ones first until the very end.
Because of his call, they didn’t stay lost at sea.
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