Chilling clue before Australian surfers went missing in Indonesia

Australians Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short have miraculously been found alive this afternoon after their boat was caught in bad weather off Indonesia on Sunday.

They were travelling with Indonesians Yunardi Ardi (thought to be the captain of the boat), Fivan and Kibal on a speed boat along with another boat carrying 10 passengers when they ran into rough seas between Nias Island and the Banyak Islands, an island chain off the western coast of Indonesia.

The Australians were found clinging to surfboards in the open sea on Tuesday following an exhaustive search by Indonesian rescue crews that started on Sunday, although it is not yet clear if the Indonesian crew or the speed boat have also been found.

The other speed boat had reportedly stopped so that the passengers could take shelter on Sarang Alu Island before continuing on to Pinang Island but, when they arrived, they found that the boat with the seven other passengers had not made it to shore.

While the four Australians have now been rescued, a recent review posted on Booking.com for the exact same ill-fated journey between Nias and the Banyak Islands written by a shaken passenger claimed the trip was “unnecessarily dangerous” and “reckless”.

According to chilling testimony posted by German user Malte on February 14 this year, the dangers associated with travelling by boat in the area were clear from the outset.

In the review, Malte described leaving Tailana Island, another island in the Banyak Islands located close to Pinang Island, for Nias on a “small wooden boat”.

“Crossing in a small boat with 4 life jackets for 10 passengers over rough seas (about 4 hours) is reckless and an unnecessary hazard to all passengers,” the review said.

“It was only thanks to the skill of the helmsman, who avoided the waves with great concentration, that we arrived safely.

“Sadly, in this situation, we were completely at the mercy of Thomas due to lack of language skills and it just ended in luck. I’ve learned my lesson and will be more careful in the future,” it concluded.

While there is a ferry from Nias to Singkil in Aceh, which is known for being fast and safe, resorts on the Banyak Islands often recommend third party charter boats to take guests directly to the islands rather than the mainland.

It is not known if the Australians had been wearing life jackets when they were found, or if there were enough life jackets for all passengers, an issue highlighted in the Booking.com review. Speed boats that travel between the islands are often rudimentary and are not often equipped with GPS, unlike other vessels such as ferries.

They are also known for being more unstable compared to other kinds of vessels when they are tossed around by large waves.

It is thought that the Australians travelling to Pinang Island hit bad weather en route, as the area is currently in the grip of the rainy season which runs from August to February and which can see large swells in the sea around the Banyak Islands.

Meanwhile, locals have spoken out about the notoriously dangerous conditions in the area.

According to Arifin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name and who works at a resort on the Banyak Islands, the weather on Sunday had changed suddenly and had been clear when the Australians left at 3pm, before the sky went dark around 5pm and a vicious storm whipped up.

“The weather here is impossible to predict. I always tell tourists, ‘maybe, maybe, maybe’ if they ask whether the weather will be good the next day and if they can go in the sea,” he said.

Arifin added, however, that locals are less worried about the weather and more worried about sharks or other large fish in the waters around the islands.

“It is open sea and so cold at night. It is even worse if there is no moon. If there is a full moon then at least you can see something, but if there is no moon, everything is pitch black and you never know what is lurking under the water,” he said.

“It is absolutely terrifying.”

Aisyah Llewellyn is a freelance reporter based in Indonesia.