Teenagers found alive on island after drifting away overnight on Australian waters

In what is being seen as a 'Christmas miracle', four teenagers were found alive on an island in southwestern Australia today, after drifting overnight on choppy waters for about 30 kilometres (19 miles), authorities said. They drifted the whole night on inflatable paddleboards in choppy waters off Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula after being unable to fight the strong gusts of winds. They floated with the tide and arrived at Swan Island, a military training base on the opposite side of the bay, at around 2 a.m., police said. According to reports in the Guardian, the set of friends described their escape as a “miracle.”

The two boys aged 18 and two girls aged 18 and 19 were found on Swan Island off the Bellarine Peninsula about 9 am today after they got caught in strong easterly winds.
Victoria Police said the group had set off Monday on two stand-up paddle boards from the town of Rosebud before the strong winds pushed them onto Port Philip bay, according to reports in CNN.

After battling the cold and feeling disoriented, the four found shelter in a hut but once the morning sunset in, they wandered the island and were finally found by security and then taken to hospital, said local police, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.

The police had serious concerns about the safety of the group and it was almost a miracle that they were found alive, said Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Terence Rowlands. Local residents claimed the teenagers were safe and well when they encountered them on their regular morning walk. Initially, the police had launched an emergency search overnight, patrolling the area in helicopters and boats with no success.

Jack Shi, father of one of the teens was quoted as saying that they were happy and relieved that the group was found as they had become very desperate after not knowing about their whereabouts initially.

One of the teenagers, Rong Shi, 18 describes it as an ordeal that now feels like a dream, after their much-anticipated adventure went wrong.
Reports in the Guardian say that Shi who was speaking from a hospital in Geelong explained how they were swept away by strong winds and carried across the bay.
“There was a point where we were really tired. When I closed my eyes, I felt like I couldn’t feel my hands were still attached to my nerves. It still feels like a dream to me. I can’t believe we made it – if you look back, it’s really, it’s a miracle," he told the ABC.

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As they drifted further from shore and failed to attract the attention of passing boats, two of them fell in the water and they decided to stay on the boards.
“We found out that we really couldn’t turn direction so we just decided to stay on board and do nothing, to keep some energy. There was a point that it was really hard, because we could see the helicopters and boats searching for us,” Shi said.

Island security and military personnel ultimately alerted police who after the rescue said that this was like a Çhristmas miracle.'
Winds in the area were easterly and south-easterly on Monday evening and overnight, blowing at 20-30km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
However at South Channel Island – a close observation point – they reached 30-40km/h. The highest gust recorded was 52km/h at about 4 am, although the observation point is particularly exposed, duty forecaster Ilana Cherny said.

The group’s belongings including phones and IDs were found on the beach by a passerby at about 8 pm on Monday, triggering the search. The effort was called off at about 4 am due to deteriorating conditions but resumed at first light.

Rosebud is a popular summer tourist destination. Its main beach faces Port Phillip bay, approximately 25km from where the bay opens out into the Bass Strait.

(With inputs from agencies)