The moment Australians lost at sea for 38 hours found 'bobbing on surfboards' off Indonesian island
The dramatic moment rescuers find Australian surfers who were stranded in the open water for 38 hours. Video from Channel 7.
Four Australian surfers who were lost at sea for 38 hours have been found “bobbing on surfboards”.
Video of the rescue shows the stranded surfers screaming and yelling they were found in open waters.
The group went missing after their boat was struck by a storm in a remote part of Indonesia, while they travelled to a private island to celebrate one of their friend's 30th birthdays.
Australians Steph Weisse, Will Teagle, Jordan Short and two unnamed Indonesian nationals were found by a charter boat involved in the frantic search.
A further search picked up Australian Elliot Foote, however one Indonesian crew member remains missing.
His father, Peter Foote, said his son was separated from the rest of the group because he’d gone looking for assistance.
“He left his mates bobbing in the water to go to search for help. The charter boat found them and then went and found Elliot,” Mr Foote said.
“I’m really happy it’s all turned out well and I hope he continues with his holiday,” he told CNN.
He added: “He’s in a great place to celebrate, with his girlfriend [Ms Weisse] and 10 mates in paradise. He’s still got eight nights to enjoy then I’m looking forward to him coming straight home.”
The group’s boat was last seen on Sunday evening local time after they were hit with storms and heavy rain.
They encountered the bad weather while sailing to the remote Pinang islands, a popular surfing destination some 93 miles from Indonesia’s Sumatra Island.
A second boat with the rest of the party, which reached Pinang Island Sunday on evening, immediately raised the alarm their friends were lost at sea, the families said.
Indonesian and Australian authorities scrambled to scour the area.
The remaining surf party used their local knowledge of the currents to locate where the group may have drifted.
Friends of the group in Australia have hailed what they described as a near miraculous rescue.
“Now that all four have been found we can just be so so grateful,” Ellie Sedgwick, who described herself as Weisse’s best friend since they were 17, told CNN.
She added: “Her mum and I were speaking the whole way through, just saying if anyone can survive this, it’s Steph.
“It’s funny because Steph actually had that conversation with us before she left. The last thing she said to us was, it’s amazing that you know we only get one life…we kept replaying that conversation over and over in our heads.”
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, DFAT said “the Australian Government expresses its deep gratitude” to those involved in the search and rescue efforts.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong 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 is still missing,” she wrote. “Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”
The names of the Indonesian crew who were on board the boat have not been shared.
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