Incredible moment Aussie surfers were found by search crew
Survivor Elliot Foote has sent a video home to friends and family describing his harrowing time at sea after his wooden boat sank off the coast of Indonesia. READ MORE
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An Australian surfer who was missing in the water off Indonesia for two days has recounted the miraculous moment he was saved.
Elliot Foote went off on his own to get help, leaving his girlfriend Steph Weisse, and mates Jordan Short and Will Teagle, together in the water after their boat sunk during their Indonesian holiday.
His three mates were found just after 11am AEST, but it took another hour-and-a-half before a rescue boat located him a few kilometres away.
The incredible moment the first three surfers were found was captured on camera before rescuers began questioning why Elliot wasn’t with them.
Elliot described the moment he saw his friends waving to him, before he got into the small boat that took him back to shore, in a video sent to his family and friends back in Australia shortly after his rescue.
“I could see this little island and I go: ‘Oh there’s my mates, oh there’s Steph, Jordy and Will, sick!’,” Elliot recounted.
“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’.”
All four Australians were found alive on Tuesday morning, after two days spent surviving by floating on surfboards in the water.
The Sea Mi Amor boat, captained by Grant Richardson, went out on Monday night looking for the group of Australians, before finding three of them about 8am local time.
Friends of the family said Mr Richardson understood local currents of the ocean and plotted a course he believed they may have travelled on.
Elliot, was in Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday accompanied by his girlfriend Steph, friends Jordan and Will, and a group of seven other mates.
Mr Foote said when Steph was found “bobbing” in the water, she was “pretty rattled”.
While the Australian tourists have been found, one Indonesian national who was also on the boat is still missing at sea.
Elliot, who had paddling away from the group in search of help, was rescued near the tiny island of Pulau Palambakbesar.
There was initial confusion about whether Elliot was safe too, after his girlfriend Steph Weisse, Jordan Short and Will Teagle, were rescued about 11am AEST.
However Elliot soon texted in father Peter Foote in Bronte, about 12.30pm on Tuesday, to let him know he was safe was well.
“Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later,” Elliot texted his father.
In Sydney a Google document being used by the four families and their friends, and seen by The Daily Telegraph, was initially updated at 11am with five words that meant so much.
“All four Australians found alive,” the document read.
However it is understood Elliot had left behind Steph, Jordan and Will to go in search of help, paddling towards a nearby island.
His girlfriend and two mates were then rescued as a group, while a boat continued to look for Elliot around his last known location.
It made a difficult morning even tougher for his father Peter Foote who moments after jubilantly doing an interview with Channel 7 after being told his son was alive, went on Channel Ten to say his son was still unaccounted for.
“Initially we were told they found Steph, floating on a surfboard in the sea, which was fantastic news her father rang me and he was over the moon as you can imagine,” Mr Foote said.
“I was still hopeful and encouraged by that, and then they found the other two boys Will and Jordan, which is awesome.
“Unfortunately my son paddled off to get help, left the group floundering in the water and paddled off to go to a nearby island so he is yet to be recovered, but the yachtsman who found them (his friends) went off after them.
“I’m expecting a call anytime now to confirm that he’s found too... they are looking for Elliot, but expecting to get him.”
There was no call but rather a 13-word text a short time later that said all it needed to say.
PLEAS FOR HELP
Earlier, family members of the surfers whose boat went missing in Indonesia during a 30th birthday trip were pleading with authorities to ramp up search efforts and find their loved ones as the hours ticked by.
The missing four were among a group of 12 Australians on two wooden longboats travelling from Nias Island, off the western coast of Sumatra north, to Aceh’s Banyak Islands on Sunday evening when the boats hit bad weather.
One boat carrying eight of the Aussies took shelter and made it to safety, but the other carrying Mr Foote, Ms Weisse, Mr Short and Mr Teagle, all from NSW, along with three Indonesian crew was unaccounted for.
Early today, their mates who made it to safety put out a statement pleading to Indonesian and Australian authorities to send out more search and rescue crews.
“We need air assistance TODAY in Indonesia. We have managed to organise 1 private aircraft. IT IS NOT ENOUGH,” the statement said.
“Weather is good today. Today is the day.
“HELICOPTER/PLANE CONTACTS IN INDONESIA DESPERATELY NEEDED.”
HOW THE SEARCH UNFOLDED
Local search efforts began on Monday, with Indonesian authorities, local fishermen and a private plane chartered for by the Australian government scanning the waves for any sign of the missing boat, but efforts were called off for the day at sunset.
Mr Foote’s father Peter, from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, got the call from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading on Monday morning to say his son was missing.
“I think my heart stopped, all the blood drained from me, it’s horrible news, and then I had to go and tell everyone else, the boys who made it safely to the island,” Mr Foote said.
“But I’m optimistic. The water (during the storm) apparently wasn’t that rough, I assume the engine’s broken or the boat missed the island altogether in the storm … they’re probably just floating out there, they have some shelter and a bit of food.”
“They’re resilient, resourceful kids, I’m hoping for a call anytime.”
Mr Foote’s carpenter son Elliot is a former Scots College student who recently moved to Murwillumbah in northern NSW to be with his girlfriend Ms Weisse.
The elder Mr Foote had paid for his son to go on the fateful trip to Indonesia with his 11 “best mates”, which were all high school friends from Sydney and surfing mates from northern NSW, as a gift for his 30th birthday.
He called on Australian and Indonesian government authorities to work closely together on finding the missing four.
“I thought I’d be a good dad and shout Elliot and his friends this surfing trip in Sumatra, they were all excited, been over there for a week prior, Elliot and Steph got to check out the orang-utans in Sumatra … then they boarded the boats and now have been for more than 20 hours,” Mr Foote said.
“Both countries, Australia and Indonesia need to get together on this. Every hour it must get more and more uncomfortable for them. They’re Australian citizens, lost somewhere.”
An Australian surfer seeking refuge on a nearby island said the group is “currently self sourcing private aircraft for today’s search mission” and that there is only one active search vessel currently on the water.
“Four Australians from (the) surviving boat are right now out to see over night on a private boat searching. They are the ONLY active search vessel in water As of NOW,” he said.
“Indonesian govt to resume operations at 8am and have been helpful but more resources needed.
“The most searching has been done by local villagers in fishing boats and small water vessels.”
Speaking to the media on Monday, Indonesian National Search and Rescue agency Nias Island chief Octavianto said search teams had been dispatched to find those missing.
“(On Sunday) night the Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passengers had arrived in Pinang Island, while another speedboat with seven people on board had not arrived yet,” he said.
“We’ve deployed three ships … and they are now moving towards the location for search and rescue. However, the issue is that the (missing vessel) is a basic wooden boat without any tracking devices or the like.”
Poor weather and visibility have hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing Aussies.
Amy Teagle, the sister of Will Teagle, a landscaper from Sydney’s Bronte, said her family was “devastated” by the news that her brother, a keen traveller, had gone missing.
“(Will) and I are very close, he’s a bit of a daredevil … he and Elliot grew up together in Bronte,” Ms Teagle said.
“e’s been travelling Australia with his girlfriend in a van these past few months, he sent us photos from Jakarta Airport a few days ago saying he was on the way to meet the boys … we never expected something like this to happen.”
Ms Teagle backed Mr Foote’s calls for authorities to amp up the search and rescue mission, and urged fellow Aussies to help spread the word to help find the missing boat.
”There’s heaps of people sharing on social media, my dad is in contacts with dozens of surf boat charters … we’re asking anyone with contacts (in Indonesia) to help, hopefully one is fruitful and we will find them soon.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said their families had been informed of the search.
“A search and rescue operation is underway following reports of a missing vessel off the west coast of Indonesia,” the spokesman said.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 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.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those missing during this distressing time.”
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