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Cheers and cries of joy erupted from four Australians the moment they were found off the Indonesian coast after surviving two days at sea.
Footage shows the moment Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short are found floating in the sea on their surfboards.
The exhausted, wet and scared trio let out cries of joy along with their rescuers when they were found.
Earlier a family member confirmed to 9News the group had been found alive after they went missing when their boat ran into bad weather on Sunday night.
But it wasn’t all joy this morning as one of the group, Elliot Foote, remained missing.
His father Peter told media his son had paddled off on his surfboard and left the group to get help, but hadn’t been found yet.
After an anxious wait and conflicting reports, Peter received a heartwarming text message from his son confirming he was alive.
He said the text read: “Hey Dad, Elliot here. I’m alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later.”
Sydney Morning Herald/Instagram
The four missing were Steph Weisse, Jordan Short, Elliot Foote and Will Teagle.
He also received a message from a friend in Indonesia confirming his son was alive.
Despite the turmoil of the past two days, Peter had always remained “optimistic” and held out hope the group would be found alive.
“What a scare he’s put me through,” he said.
A photo posted to Instagram showed injuries Foote suffered while stuck at sea for two days.
The four, who are from Sydney, were on a surf trip to celebrate Foote’s 30th birthday.
Elliot Foote and Steph Weisse.
Three local crew members had also been on board the boat, two of whom have been located.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said it was “incredible news” that the group was found.
“A huge thank you to all those who were part of this days-long search,” he tweeted.
“This would’ve been such a tough time for Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan, as well as their families.
”We can’t wait to welcome them home.”
Sydney Morning Herald
The boat the four were travelling on when they went missing.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) spokesperson confirmed earlier a search and rescue operation had been underway since the group had been reported missing.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the families of four Australians onboard and is working closely with Indonesian authorities to support search and rescue efforts,” a spokesperson said.
Dfat is yet to release an updated statement confirming the news that the group has been found.
Teagle’s sister, Amy, said a group of 12 was on two wooden longboats heading from Nias island, about 120 kilometres from the North Sumatra coast, to the Banyak Islands, in Aceh.
Nias and the Banyak Islands are more than 50 kilometres apart at the closest point.
One of the boats with eight on board sought shelter on Sarang Alu Island while the other boat with Foote, Weisse, Short and Teagle continued on the trip.
The second boat didn’t reach its destination.
Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency in Indonesia, said the boat had gone missing about 6pm on Sunday (local time) near an island in the Banyaks called Sarang Alu.
The authority said waves were three to four metres high amid heavy rain and it was dark when the group went missing.
The search had been suspended on Monday night and resumed at first light on Tuesday when the group was found.
This story was originally published on 9News and is republished with permission.
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