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A group of four surfers and two crew members were rescued after spending nearly two days stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Authorities said that a group of 17 people departed on a pair of boats from North Nias, an island off the coast of Sumatra.
They were heading to Pinang Island for vacation when they got caught in a bad storm. One of the boats stopped at a nearby island to wait out the storm. The other boat, a 30-foot wooden vessel with the four surfers and three Indonesia crew members, continued on toward their destination.
The boat was lost during the storm, and the men ended up in the water.
According to NBC News, Peter Foote, the father of one of the rescued surfers, said that his son managed to paddle to a nearby island and call for help.
Rescue teams were dispatched and found the surfers clinging to their surfboards. Two of the crew members were also treading water when rescuers arrived. Officials were unable to locate the third crew member.
"Our thoughts are with the family of the third crew member, for whom the search continues," a spokesperson for the Australian foreign affairs ministry said.
Foote said that his son and their friends plan to finish their vacation.
"I want him to finish his holiday," Foote said. "If the surf's great and the weather's come good, and they're having a great time, and they're with their best mates, you know, there's no point in him coming home."