Four Australians who went missing when their boat encountered poor weather off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday have been found alive.
Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were found floating in the water on surfboards on Tuesday.
Elliot Foote, who paddled to an island to seek help, was also later found.
One Indonesian crew member was still missing at sea and efforts to locate him were continuing, said Julien Laurençon, director of Banyak Surf Resort, who is part of the search team.
An Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson confirmed that four Australians reported missing had been located and were safe.
“Two of the three Indonesian crew have also been located. Our thoughts are with the family of the third crew member, for whom the search continues,” the spokesperson said. “The Australian government expresses its deep gratitude to the Indonesian authorities and others involved in the search and rescue efforts.”
Foote described seeing his friends as he paddled towards an island on his surfboard.
“I could see this little island and I go: ‘Oh there’s my mates, oh there’s Steph, Jordy and Will, sick!’” he recounted in a video published by the ABC.
“They were like waving and they’re like ‘Footey!’... I’m paddling to that island, but I’m not making any ground on it. I’m like ‘what the hell’ and then these guys [the rescuers] came back.”
Shortly before, he had texted his father, Peter Foote, telling him that he was alive and well. The text message arrived while his father was being interviewed live on air.
His father told the ABC the text read: “Hey dad, Elliot here, I am alive, safe now, love you, chat later. From Elliot.”
Peter Foote said: “It is so typical of him just to do that – ‘I am safe, it is all good, talk later.’ There is no sign of ‘oh my God I am coming home’. It is great, good news.
“I will have to talk to him and want to see a photo and see what he looks like.”
Local boats were involved in the search for the surfers, who were on the trip to celebrate Foote’s 30th birthday. Speaking with Channel 10 earlier on Tuesday, Peter Foote said a yachtsman “had gone after” his son.
“Initially we were told they found Steph floating on a surfboard at sea,” he said.
“Then they found the other two boys, Will and Jordan ... all bobbing in the water.
“Then apparently my son, unfortunately, paddled off to get help, left the group floundering in the water and paddled off to go to a nearby island.”
He said he was “looking forward to seeing” his son and the wait had been “horrible”.
“Fingers crossed he’s all right, the others seem to be OK … These are big kids, they’re 29 years old, but you still worry about them.”
He said Weisse was a “bit rattled” and praised the foreign affairs department for its support in the search efforts.
"These are big kids, they're 29, but you still worry about them."
— 10 News First (@10NewsFirst) August 15, 2023
Three of the four Australians missing off the coast of Indonesia have been confirmed alive. @ursulaheger spoke to Peter Foote, father of Elliot Foote, the man believed to still be missing. pic.twitter.com/YmaM8tBPJW
Indonesian authorities confirmed the boat was last seen near Sarang Alu island but that heavy rain and four-metre waves hindered Monday’s attempts to find the NSW surfers.
