Police in Western Australia have released details of the emergency phone call made by 13-year-old Austin Appelbee that helped his family when they were swept out to sea.
Austin swam for four hours through choppy waters to raise the alarm for his mother and his two younger siblings, 12-year-old Beau and 8-year-old Grace.
They had been kayaking and paddle-boarding in Geographe Bay near Quindalup on 30 January when they got into difficulty.
The Western Australia Police Force said Austin's "calm, clear communication" helped the emergency services to respond.
Police say Austin "made the courageous decision to return to shore in fading light and deteriorating conditions".
"Once on shore, Austin ran a further two kilometres along the beach before reaching a mobile phone where he was able to call for help," police said.
During the call to the emergency services, Austin can be heard explaining what had happened.
He says he and his two siblings and his mother had "got lost" while out at sea. He said they needed a helicopter to "go find them".
Austin said he was "really scared" as he didn't know of the condition of his family.
Police Forward Commander Acting Sergeant Andrew McDonnell, who coordinated the search and rescue effort, said: "The situation the Appelbee family found themselves in was extremely dire. They were in real trouble, and time was absolutely critical given how long they had been in the water and with daylight fading.
"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."
Austin’s mother, Joanne, who is from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, said it was one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make to say to Austin to try and get to shore and get some help, as "this could get really serious really quickly", she said.
Earlier this month, Joanne told RTÉ News that she was amazed at Austin's bravery.
Austin’s emergency phone call was released on a new podcast series that looks behind the scenes at the work of Western Australia Police Force.
