() – Four Australian surfers who went missing after their boat was hit by a storm in a remote part of Indonesia have been rescued after more than 38 hours at sea, their parents say.
Australians Steph Weisse, Will Teagle, Jordan Short and two unnamed Indonesian nationals were found “floating on surfboards” by a charter boat involved in the frantic rescue effort.
The shocking video from the moment showed the castaways adrift on their surfboards cheering and shouting alongside their rescuers as they realised they had successfully found themselves in a vast expanse of ocean.
A new search has found Australian Elliot Foote, but an Indonesian crew member remains missing.
Foote’s father, Peter Foote, said his son became separated from the rest of the group because he had gone to find help. “He left his companions floating in the water to go find help. The charter boat found them and then went to find Elliot,” Peter said.
“I’m very happy that everything worked out and I hope he continues with his vacation,” Peter told .
“He is in a great place to celebrate, with his girlfriend [Weisse] and 10 companions in paradise. He still has eight nights to enjoy and then I wish him to go straight home.”
The group’s boat was last seen on Sunday night after they encountered bad weather and heavy rain on a trip to the remote island of Pinang from Nias, a popular surfing destination about 150 kilometres off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
A second boat carrying the rest of the group successfully reached Pinang Island on Sunday afternoon, the families said, helping to raise the alarm.
As Indonesian authorities carried out search and rescue efforts with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the families of the four Australians said chartered surf boats made a difference by using their local knowledge of currents to locate where the group might have become adrift.
According to their families, the four Australians were on a trip to Indonesia to celebrate Foote’s 30th birthday.
His Australian friends have celebrated what they describe as a near-miraculous rescue.
“Now that we have found all four of them, we can be very, very grateful,” Ellie Sedgwick, who described herself as Weisse’s best friend since they were 17, told .
“Her mom and I were talking the whole time, saying if anyone can survive this, it’s Steph,” she added.
“It’s funny because Steph had that conversation with us before she left. The last thing she said to us was, ‘It’s amazing that you know you only have one life… We kept replaying that conversation over and over in our heads. ’”
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, DFAT said the Australian Government “expresses its deep gratitude” to those involved in the search and rescue efforts.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong he said in a tweet that the Government “will continue to provide support to the four Australians and their families.”
“The search continues for a crew member who remains missing,” he wrote. “Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”
Authorities have not yet released the names of the Indonesian crew members on board the vessel.
Indonesia has long been a popular destination for Australian tourists thanks to its proximity and abundance of cheap flights to places like Bali.
The western island of Sumatra is one of Indonesia’s less-frequented destinations, but the coral islands surrounding Nias are popular with intrepid surfers and boast multiple world-class breaks, particularly around Lagundri Bay.
– ’s Lizzy Yee and Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report.
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