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Friends have shared footage of the incredible moment a group of young Australian surfers missing off the coast of Indonesia were found after hours lost at sea.
Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse and his companions Will Teagle and Jordan Short were part of a group of 12 Australians traveling on two wooden rowboats from Nias Island to the resort town of Pinang Surf on the Banyak Islands, off from the west coast of the continent.
Both ships encountered bad weather during the 50km trip on Sunday, which usually takes around three hours.
One of the boats took refuge on Sarang Alu, an island halfway to their destination, but the boat carrying four Australians and three Indonesian crew continued to attempt the crossing despite the dangerous conditions.
After a 24-hour search, Steph, Will and Jordan were found alive and well floating on their surfboards on Tuesday morning.
Elliot was found soon after after parting ways with the trio.
The frantic friends of the group back at the station have spent the last two days appealing for a public assistant.
A mate on a search boat shared footage of when he spotted Steph, Jordan and Will.
“Yes!! Courting!”
“Elliot?” comes the question from the research boat.
“Do you have it?” Weisse asks.
“Where’s Elliot?” »
Elliot’s father, Peter Foote, was speaking with reporters at the time while still holding out hope that his son would also be found.
Confirmation came that Elliot was also found shortly afterwards, with Mr Foote receiving a text message moments later.
‘Hey dad, Elliot here. I’m alive, safe now, I love you. Discuss later,” his son had sent.
A relieved Mr. Foote is now keen to speak to Elliot as soon as possible.
“I still want to talk to him. I’m happy, you know, I’m happy as I can talk now, you know, I’m not going to break down and fall apart,’ he said.
Four Australians who went missing on a charter boat between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf Resort on Pinang Island have been found (Picture: Elliot Foote and Steph Weisse)
“I don’t know if I can celebrate. He hurt me too much to celebrate.
“I’ve aged in the last two days, 100%. »
She was told her son was on his way to Penang Island, where he would reunite with his partner Steph and his friends.
He had become separated from the trio when he had paddled to an island on his surfboard asking for help.
Mr Foote hopes to receive a call from Elliot later on Tuesday.
“He’s going to hook up with his friends and hopefully pick up a working phone and call me from there,” he said.
“They’ll call off the search now and Elliot will be on his way back to the island, they’ll all regroup and get healthy and probably have a good night tonight.”
Mr Foote set up a base camp from his home in Bronte on Monday while remaining in frequent contact with authorities involved in search and rescue efforts.
It is understood that an Australian expat volunteering with the group’s search efforts was the one to find the missing Australians.
They’ve been in the water for a long time, I don’t know how they’re going to be health-wise,’ Mr Foote said.
“But they are found, they are alive, they are fine. Alright, that’s fantastic news. It’s amazing actually, I’m so happy about it.
He also thanked Australia for the outpouring of support.
The boat has not yet been located and it is unclear whether the local crew members on board have been found.
Australians Jordan Short and Will Teagle were also found
Peter Foote (pictured) was speaking to the media at his home when it was confirmed his son Elliot had also been found, along with his three friends
The group of 12 were all friends celebrating Elliot’s 30th birthday.
They intended to go to the island to rent exclusive bungalows and surf for 10 days.
Hours before they went missing, Elliot revealed on social media that it was “so good” to be back in Indonesia.
‘Soho gulah Sorake…so good to be back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with friends and the queen,’ he posted on Instagram.
“Starting the trip with a jungle trek in North Sumatra and seeing orangutans was an amazing experience and something I look forward to doing for longer and going deeper.
“Bukit Lawang is a beautiful place with such nice people.”
The four Australians were found hours after their frantic families released a statement on Monday night via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“Our hearts break at the thought of Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan missing at sea,” they said.
“We continue to pray and hope that they will be found.
“We would like to thank the Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their continued assistance as search and rescue efforts continue.”
The first search teams were launched by the Pinang resort and local authorities on Monday morning.
The group were part of a party of 12 Australians across two wooden rowboats traveling between Nias Island and Pinang surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the ship encountered bad weather on Sunday.
Elliot Foote (pictured with girlfriend Steph Weisse) texted his father shortly after being rescued on Tuesday
The group were staying at the exclusive Pinang Surf resort (pictured)
Octavianto, head of Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency on Nias Island, said a rescue team of more than 20 police, military and volunteers used small boats to tackle the heavy weather in further attempts to find the Australians.
“Last night, Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passengers arrived at Pinang Island (around 10:18 p.m. local time), while another speedboat with seven people on board did not arrive. hadn’t happened yet,” he said.
“We have deployed three vessels, and they are now heading to the location for search and rescue.
“However, the problem is that the (missing ship) is a basic wooden ship without any tracking devices or the like.”
Pinang Island is known for its isolation, stunning scenery and world-class surfing spots (pictured, Jordan Short)
Bad weather and poor visibility have so far hampered the ability of search teams to locate the missing Australians (pictured, Steph Weisse)
Pinang Island is known for its isolation, stunning scenery and world-class surf spots.
It costs USD 150 per night to stay on the island for a “self-sufficient” bungalow, which offers “daily surf trips to the Bay of Plenty or Bangkaru Island, as well as a transfer to and from Nias airport”.
“Our friend and surf guide will take you to all the best spots,” reads the resort’s website.
Island guests get breakfast, lunch, and dinner included and access to snorkeling, fishing, spearfishing, SUP, and snorkeling. kayak.
The resort website says they are booked between 13th and 23rd August which would be the group of 10 Aussies.
It also offers a trip to the island from Nias, with the website stating that they will be ‘picked up and taken to our island by speedboat’.
Elliot Foote shared a series of photos (one above) from the vacation of the group of 12 friends hours before boarding the missing rowboat
Moment Aussie surfers are found in the ocean on their boards after their boat vanished in storm