The missing Australian surfer in Indonesia was on holiday for his 30th birthday before disappearing with three friends on a dinghy en route from Nias Island to Pinang Island
Four missing Australians in Indonesia were part of a group of 12 friends on a 30th birthday surfing trip, one of whom shared photos just hours before they disappeared.
Steph Weisse, Jordan Short, Elliot Foote and Will Teagle went missing on Sunday while traveling in a wooden dinghy over rough seas to Indonesia’s remote Banyak Islands.
Their boat, carrying the four Aussies and a three-man Indonesian crew, had launched off Nias Island alongside another boat carrying their eight friends.
They were on their way to the small island of Pinang in the Banyaks, a 50 km journey that usually takes three hours, but ran into a storm.
One boat decided to wait it out again at Sarang Alu, an island half way to their destination, but the missing boat decided to continue.
Elliot Foote (pictured with girlfriend Steph Weisse) went missing on Sunday while traveling for his 30th birthday in Indonesia
Jordan Short (left) and Will Teagle (right) were also aboard the missing wooden sloop last seen at about 6 p.m. Sunday
Elliot Foote’s father, Peter, said the group planned to surf Pinang for 10 days to celebrate his son’s upcoming 30th birthday.
The missing Australians are all friends of Mr Foote who attended the exclusive boys’ school Scots College and lived in Bronte in eastern Sydney before moving to Mullumbimby near Byron Bay with his girlfriend, Mrs Weisse.
Mr Foote, a carpenter, shared a series of photos from the ill-fated holiday just hours before boarding the missing boat.
The post shows the group surfing and hiking in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra.
‘Soho gulah Sorake… how nice to be back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with friends and the Queen,’ wrote Mr. Foote – ‘Queen’ is his nickname for Mrs. Weisse.
‘Starting the trip with hiking in the jungle of North Sumatra and seeing orangutans was an amazing experience and something I look forward to doing again for a longer time and going deeper.
“Bukit Lawang is a beautiful place with such nice people.”
Peter Foote continues to hope that Mr. Foote and his friends will be found soon.
Elliot Foot shared a series of photos (one above) from the holiday of the group of 12 friends just hours before boarding the missing sloop
The friends traveled in two wooden longboats from Nias Island to a resort on Pinang Island, but were separated during a storm (pictured, the boat the four missing Aussies and three Indonesians were traveling in)
Pictured is a map showing the planned route of the two sloops before they were separated
“They have life jackets on board, they had food and drink and there is shelter on the boat. It has a roof,” he told the The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Apparently the waves weren’t that problematic. It was just the view in the storm.
“We’re all hoping they run out of fuel or they got lost and missed the island, or there’s probably an engine failure on the boat, which sadly doesn’t have GPS.”
Local authorities said the missing boat left Nias Island about 3 p.m. Sunday and was last seen around 6 p.m.
The boat with the remaining eight Australians arrived at Pinang Island at 10:18 PM.
Poor conditions have so far hampered the search and rescue mission for the Aussies and Indonesians, including the boat owner and two mechanics.
Celebrations organized by the Pinang resort and the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency kicked off at about 6am on Monday.
Nias Island chief Octavianto said more than 20 police, military and volunteers are searching the sea.
The group included Mr Foote’s (left) friends from Scots College, Bronte and Mullumbimby – a town near Byron Bay where he had recently moved with his girlfriend, Mrs Weisse (right)
The group of 12 friends were on a surfing holiday to celebrate Mr. Foote’s upcoming 30th birthday (pictured, missing Aussie Jordan Short)
“Our team arrived today at Sarang Alu Island to search the area. It is the last place before both boats parted ways,” he told reporters on Monday.
‘The waves are three to four meters high. It is raining heavily and it is dark. Due to the weather we can only use smaller boats with good aerodynamics. We are searching within 40 nautical miles of Sarang Alu Island.
“The problem, however, is that the (missing vessel) is a simple wooden boat with no tracking devices or anything like that.
“They really went there alone.”
Octavianto added that the tourists have not reported their journey to the local port authority.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade chartered a private jet on Monday evening to search.
Authorities said the eight friends who arrived on Pinang Island are “bewildered”.
The families of the four missing Aussies shared a statement via DFAT on Monday night.
“Our hearts ache at the thought of Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan going 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 Pinang resort (above) features a ‘self-catering’ bungalow where guests can enjoy a ‘rejected lifestyle’
The Pinang resort is marketed as a remote place where guests can enjoy a ‘thrown lifestyle’.
A ‘self-contained’ bungalow on the island costs around $230 AUD per night and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as access to snorkeling, fishing and kayaking.
Guests also receive ‘daily surf trips to the Bay of Plenty or Bangkaru Island’ and transfers to Nias Island via ‘speedboat’.