Upon first hearing his voice, one might not guess that Austin Appelbee was engulfed in fear for his family’s safety.
With his mother Joanne’s approval, state police have made the rare decision to release the audio of the emergency call Austin placed once he reached the shore.
On January 30, Austin, along with his mother Joanne, brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, 8, found themselves swept out to sea while kayaking and paddle-boarding amid challenging conditions.
As the daylight waned, Austin recounted how his mother urged him to return to the shore and seek assistance.
He was forced to abandon his kayak when it began to sink, and later had to remove his life jacket as it hindered his swimming efforts.
After a grueling 4km swim back to land, Austin sprinted another 2km to locate a phone and dial emergency services around 6pm.
“My name’s Austin and I’m outside on the beach,” the audio begins.
“I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight. We went on a kayak trip and a paddleboard trip, and we got out to sea and we got lost out there and it – we got lost around about, I don’t know what time it was but it was a very long time ago.
“We couldn’t get back to shore and mum told me to go back to get help. And then, I haven’t seen them since. I think they’re kilometres out in the sea.
“I think we need a helicopter to 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.”
Despite his desperate worry over his family, Austin continued to speak with clarity and calm to the emergency operator as they asked more about the situation.
”I don’t know what their condition is right now and I’m really scared,” he said.
“I had a kayak and then the kayak had a bunch of water in it and started to sink.
I had to swim around about 4km facing the current. I’m extremely tired, I’ve got heatstroke, and I feel like i’m going to pass out, I’m very dizzy.”
He went on to give the time they’d started their ocean trip, and that he couldn’t see them from the shore.
The recording stops after Austin says he’s been onshore for only 10 minutes.
Austin’s family were found at about 8.30pm, clinging to a paddleboard, and they were brought in safely.
Police have praised Austin’s cool head during his Triple Zero call as crucial to the massive rescue operation.
”What Austin did was nothing short of extraordinary,” Forward Commander Acting Sergeant Andrew McDonnell, who coordinated the rescue, said.
“His bravery and courage in those conditions were remarkable, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”
You can listen to the audio of the call in full in the player above. WA Police officers also discuss it in their new podcast “Operation Podcast”, available on Apple and Spotify.
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