Four people who went missing during 30th birthday excursion found alive, floating on surfboards

Four surfers who had gone missing during a 30th birthday trip, following their boat getting caught in severe weather off the coast of Indonesia, have been successfully located.

Elliot Foote, Steph Weiss, Jordan Short, and Will Teagle were discovered on Tuesday after an extensive search conducted over several days.

The group had gone missing after their chartered boat failed to return from a remote island near North Sumatra on Sunday.

Information shared via a Google document, which was utilized by the families of the four individuals and was seen by The Daily Telegraph, was updated to indicate: “All four Australians found alive”.

Reportedly, the four friends were located by rescuers while they were floating on surfboards in the waters around Indonesia’s westernmost islands.

The group had embarked on a birthday surfing expedition, journeying on a longboat to Banyak Island situated close to Banda Aceh. Unfortunately, their trip was marred by inclement weather conditions.

On Monday, a comprehensive search operation was initiated, with Indonesian authorities collaborating in the efforts to locate the boat that had gone missing.

Just a day prior, Elliot Foote, hailing from Northern New South Wales, shared on Instagram that it felt “so good” to be back in Indonesia.

“Soho gulah Sorake … so good being back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with mates and the queen,” Foote wrote.

Both Australian and Indonesian search teams were mobilized on Monday to locate the group, all of whom are residents of New South Wales.

The search efforts involved Indonesian authorities, local fishermen, and a privately chartered Australian government plane scanning the ocean waves.

As sunset approached, the search operation, which was also focused on locating three Indonesian crew members who were missing from the boat, was suspended.

In total, the group consisted of 12 Australians who were on a journey through Sumatra and the island of Nias to commemorate Elliot Foote’s 30th birthday.

While en route to Banyak Island, the group of 12 individuals reportedly divided themselves onto two separate boats.

One of the boats sought refuge on Sarang Alu, an island situated between the two destinations the group was traveling between on Sunday.

The eight tourists aboard this boat managed to reach their intended destination safely on Sunday night.

On the other hand, the second boat, carrying the four individuals who went missing, apparently chose to continue their journey instead of stopping at the island.