Tag Archives: oceania

Cheers, cries of joy as Aussies found floating on surfboards in sea

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.

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The moment Aussies found in water off Indonesian coast.

Earlier a family member confirmed to 9News that three of the surfers, including Weisse, Teagle and Short had been found alive after they went missing when their boat ran into bad weather on Sunday night.

Elliot Foote was found a few hours later after reportedly paddling off on his surfboard to get help.

His dad received the joyous, albeit blase, text message confirming he was alive.

"Hey dad. Elliot here. I'm alive. Safe now!! Love you. Chat later," the text read.

Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short are missing in Indonesian waters.

A photo posted to Instagram shows Foote and two friends enjoying a drink to celebrate his survival.

Another post shows injuries Foote suffered while stuck at sea for two days.

For the other families, it was the same cry of relief finding out their loved ones were alive and recounted to 9News the agonising nearly 40 hours waiting for the good, or bad news.

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Elliot Foote enjoying a bear with two friends to celebrate his survival after disappearing in the Indonesian ocean.Elliot Foote, one of the surfers found in Indonesia

The four, who are from Sydney, were on a surf trip to celebrate Foote's 30th birthday.

Three local crew members had also been on board the boat, two of whom have been located.

The search is ongoing for the last Indonesian crew member.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the third crew member, for whom the search continues," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.

'We can't wait to welcome them home'

NSW 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."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation is relieved that the group was found safe and well.

"We thank the DFAT officials and Australian government agencies who have assisted with the search and rescue efforts," he said.

"But we particularly thank our Indonesian friends, who, once again have come to Australia's support in a time of need."

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https://twitter.com/SenatorWong/status/1691329557796950016

The Department of Foreign Affairs added in a statement it was pleased to confirm the four Aussies had been found alive.

"The Australian Government expresses its deep gratitude to the Indonesian authorities and others involved in the search and rescue efforts," a spokesperson said.

"The department is providing consular assistance to the four Australians, and to their families."

How it unfolded

A group of 12 had travelled to Indonesia to celebrate Foote's 30th birthday at the popular surf destination.

The group was separated on two wooden fishing boats, one with eight of the group and the other carrying Weisse, Foote, Teagle and Short.

They left Nias Island off Sumatra and headed for a surf resort on Pinang Island on Sunday night.

But bad weather forced one boat to seek shelter.

The other boat was caught in the storm and disappeared, with the four Aussies on board.

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Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency in Indonesia, said the boat had gone missing 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.

Once Indonesian authorities were involved then the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was working closely on search and rescue efforts.

It was a huge operation between Indonesian police, military, Australian authorities and a local surf group run by Aussies.

The search had been suspended on Monday night and resumed at first light on Tuesday when the group was found.

The group was found off Tengku Island, part of the Bankyaks this morning.

'My blood turned cold': The agonising wait for families of rescued surfers

It was 36 nailbiting hours for the parents of four Aussie surfers missing at sea off the coast of Indonesia.

Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were celebrating Elliot Foote's 30th birthday with a surf trip to Indonesia with eight others when their boat struck bad weather and they disappeared on Sunday night.

Families back in Australia received the call no parent wants to hear from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

READ MORE: Four Australians missing in Indonesia found alive

Four Australians missing during boat trip in Indonesia: Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short

"I answered it and unfortunately the news was not good," Steph's father Wayne Weisse told 9News.

"They told me she was missing and three of her friends as well."

Her mum Jill Weisse said: "Straight away my blood turned cold and I thought, 'Oh god, what mess has she got into this time', and Wayne just started crying, saying, 'She is missing.'"

Mr Weisse said they felt hopeless waiting by the phone for updates on whether they would hear good news or the unthinkable.

Wayne and Jill Weisse

Rescue teams launched into action on Sunday night after the group vanished in inclement weather.

But after nearly 40 hours, the families received the phone call they'd been praying for on Tuesday morning.

"(The boat captain) said, 'Wayne, I got someone here to talk to you' and it was my daughter and I heard her and she said, 'Hi Dad'," Mr Weisse said.

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Moment Elliot Foote's father Peter gets confirmation he is alive in Indonesia.

For Foote's family, the wait for the joyous phone call was a little longer.

He wasn't found for a few hours after his friends.

Foote's father Peter said his son had paddled off on his surfboard and left the group to get help.

But after hours of anxious waiting, his utter joy was captured in the throngs of the media at his home in Sydney when he received a calm and collected text message from Elliot.

"Hey dad. Elliot here. I'm alive. Safe now!! Love you. Chat later," the text read.

Peter Foote receiving a message from his son after he was found alive in Indonesia.Elliot Foote, one of the surfers found in Indonesia

Foote had paddled to a nearby surf resort and was located a few hours after his friends with a bad case of board rash but otherwise in good spirits.

Peter said it was "so typical" of his son to be relaxed after surviving the throes of the sea for nearly two days.

Despite the turmoil of the past two days, Mr Foote had always remained "optimistic" and held out hope the group would be found alive.

"What a scare he's put me through," he said.

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Similarly, for Teagle's sister, hope was never lost.

"They are all born and bred in the water," Amy said.

"Very competent thrillseekers. I hope they have enjoyed it more than we have."

Now the four mates are looking to head back to Australia, which will likely be a joyous reunion for the families after days of being worried sick. 

Aussies put record number of purchases on credit cards amid cost-of-living crisis

Aussies are increasingly turning to credit cards as the cost-of-living crisis hits hip pockets.

Australians put a record number of purchases on credit cards in the month of June, making 301 million purchases on plastic, according to Finder analysis of Reserve Bank of Australia data.

Those purchases cost a massive $34 billion, marking an 8.4 per cent increase on Aussies' monthly credit card spending over the past year.

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The country's total credit is now at $40.5 billion, Finder has calculated.

Before January, that figure had never reached $33.5 billion.

Research released last month found that one in six Aussies was struggling to pay off their credit card debt.

Finder credit card expert Amy Bradney-George has warned Aussies to be cautious of putting items on credit.

"We're seeing an overreliance on credit as people struggle to manage the cost-of-living crisis," she said.

"Emergency savings have been wiped in some households and expenses feel out of control.

"Consider transferring your outstanding balance to a zero per cent interest balance transfer card and aim to make purchases only using a debit card until you can dig yourself out of the red."

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Bradney-George further urged credit card users to focus on what is affordable for them instead of spending unnecessarily.

"If making repayments is difficult or causing stress, contact your bank or lender to discuss solutions," she said.

"You can also get free financial counselling by calling the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007."

Scammers target Matildas fans with new tactic

Aussies running hot with Matildas fever are ripe targets for opportunist scammers, the consumer watchdog has warned, as it urged fans to beware of bogus live stream links set up to drain bank accounts and fake ticket sales.

The ACCC said scams targeting Matildas fans were starting to emerge on social media platforms, especially Facebook, where people are hunting for the hottest tickets in town.

Catriona Lowe, the ACCC deputy chair, urged fans to be "very careful" if they are trying to snap up last-minute tickets for tomorrow night's semifinal and the tournament final.

READ MORE: Four Australians missing in Indonesia found alive, floating on surfboards

Australia celebrate their victory in the penalty shoot out against France.

"We are already seeing initial reports of scam activity, particularly on Facebook, where scammers are responding to posts from people looking for tickets and using compromised accounts to sell non-existent tickets," Lowe said.

"There have also been reports of scammers claiming there is a problem with the payment and asking for it to be made again."

Ticket scammers will scan social media platforms and either post or directly contact people to say they have tickets available for sale. If they find a potential victim, scammers will send convincing screenshots showing fake proof of World Cup ticket ownership.

As well as the ticket sale scams, the ACCC's National Anti-Scam Centre said it had also received reports of scammer activity on social media, with links to supposed live-streams of sporting events, including World Cup matches.

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Lowe described fake live streams as a "relatively new scam" which aims to exploit keen fans of various sports teams, including the Matildas.

Would-be spectators are prompted to click a link and enter their credit card details to subscribe to the live-streaming service.

But that click, in most cases, ends up with scammers stealing a victim's credit card details and not delivering the content.

Australia faces England at a sold-out Stadium Australia on Wednesday night at 8pm.

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