Miracle as all four Australians found after a boat was hit by wild weather while on surfing trip in Indonesia
- Four Aussies missing in Indonesia found
- Their charter boat failed to return to their resort
Four young Aussie friends who went missing at sea during a surfing holiday in Indonesia have been found floating on surfboards.
Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were among a group of 12 Australians travelling on two wooden longboats between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland.
The two vessels ran into bad weather during the 50km voyage on Sunday, which usually takes around three hours.
One of the boats was able to find refuge on Sarang Alu, an island halfway from their destination, but the boat carrying four Australians and three Indonesian crew members continued to attempt to make the crossing despite the treacherous conditions.
Rescuers spent most of Monday night frantically searching before Steph, Will and Jordan were found alive and well on Tuesday morning.
His father Peter Foote was speaking with reporters when confirmation came through that his son had also been found.
‘I still want to talk to him. I’m happy, you know, I’m happy like I can talk now, you know, I’m not gonna crack up and break down,’ a relieved Mr Foote told reporters at his Sydney home.
‘I’ve aged in the last two days.’
Grave fears are being held for Four Australians who have gone missing on a charter boat off between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf Resort, on Pinang Island (pictured: Elliot Foote and Steph Weisse)
Pictured: Missing Australians Jordan Short and Will Teagle
The boat hasn’t been located and it remains unclear if the local crew members on board had been located.
Mr Foote set up a base camp from the family home in Sydney while keeping in frequent contact with authorities involved in the search and rescue efforts.
The group of 12 were all friends who were celebrating Elliott’s upcoming 30th birthday.
They were intending to travel to the island to rent exclusive bungalows and surf for 10 days.
The four Aussies were found hours after their worried families put out a statement on Monday night via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
‘Our hearts are aching at the thought that Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan are missing at sea,’ they said.
‘We continue to pray and hold out hope they will be found.
‘We’d like to thank the Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their ongoing assistance while search and rescue efforts continue.’
Initial search parties were launched by the Pinang resort and local authorities at 6am on Monday, however they were unsuccessful.
The group were among a group of 12 Australians across two wooden longboats travelling between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the vessel struck bad weather on Sunday
The group were staying at the exclusive Pinang Surf resort (pictured)
Indonesian National Search and Rescue agency Nias Island chief Octavianto said a rescue team of more than 20 police, military and volunteers are now utilising small boats to battle heavy weather in further attempts to find the Aussies.
‘Last night the Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passengers had arrived in Pinang Island (at around 10.18pm local time), while another speedboat with seven people on board had not arrived yet,’ he said.
‘We’ve deployed three ships…and they are now moving towards the location for search and rescue.
‘However, the issue is that the (missing vessel) is a basic wooden boat without any tracking devices or the like.’
Poor weather and visibility has so far hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing Aussies.
The 12 Aussies are believed to have departed from Nias Island at about 3pm on Sunday.
Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks (pictured, Jordan Short)
Poor weather and visibility has so far hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing Aussies (pictured, Steph Weisse)
Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks.
It costs USD$150 per night to stay on the island for a ‘self-sufficient’ bungalow, that provides ‘daily surf trips to the Bay of Plenty or Bangkaru Island, plus transfer from and back to Nias airport’.
‘Our friend and surf guide will take you around to all the best spots,’ the resort’s website reads.
Guests on the island receive an inclusive breakfast, lunch and dinner and access to ‘snorkelling, fishing, spearfishing, SUP and kayaking.
The resort’s website states they are booked out between August 13 and August 23, believed to be the party of 10 Australians.
It also provides travel to the island from Nias, the website stating they will ‘be picked up and whisked off to our island by speedboat’.
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