Four young Australian surfers have been found alive after 38 hours of desperate search in Indonesian seas. The Australians were among seven people missing from a boat traveling north from the island of Nias to Aceh’s Banyak Islands on Sunday, August 13th. The Daily Telegraph reported that the four were found shortly after 1:00 pm New Zealand time, citing a Google document that the four families and their friends had updated.
Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were part of a larger group headed for exclusive Pinang Island. Foote’s father, Peter Foote, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Weisse, Short and Teagle were found floating in the water on surfboards.
According to CNN, a video dramatic captured the moment showing the young Australians on their surfboards, relieved and elated to be rescued. They had been lucky to be found in open waters and still alive. “They found three of them all floating,” Peter Foote said, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. “My son got on a surfboard and paddled to an island to call for help.”
For his 30th birthday I sent him and his friends on a surf trip.
Peter Foote
The head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency told the media that three boats had been dispatched for the search, which was being hampered by bad weather. “The issue is that the missing vessel is a basic wooden boat without any tracking device or anything like that,” he said.
A spokesman for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had earlier said they were working with Indonesia to find them. “A search and rescue operation is underway following reports of a missing vessel off the west coast of Indonesia,” the spokesman said. ”The Department is providing consular assistance to the families of four Australians on board and is working closely with Indonesian authorities to support search and rescue efforts.
Peter Foote told the Sydney Morning Herald the lack of visibility, not waves, was the weather problem. “They have life jackets on board, food and water and there is shelter on the boat. It has a roof,” he said.
Foote stated that the trip was a 30th birthday present for his son, who took 11 of his friends, including his girlfriend Steph Weisse. They were headed to Pinang Island, which advertises itself as a special Indonesian location with exquisite cuisine and isolated beaches. “Elliot will be 30 in September and for his 30th birthday I sent him and his friends on a surf trip,” Peter Foote told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong shared on social media that the government would continue to offer support to the people who were still missing and their families. “The search continues for a crew member who is still missing,” she wrote. “Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”
For the families of those who have been found, the news came as an enormous relief. “I’m really happy it’s all turned out well and I hope he continues with his holiday,” Peter Foote told CNN. “He’s in a great place to celebrate, with his girlfriend and 10 mates in paradise. He’s still got eight nights to enjoy then I’m looking forward to him coming straight home.”
