Search and rescue crews are continuing to scour the waters off Aceh for the final crew member of the wooden boat that went missing on Sunday night.
"The waves were high and we all discussed quickly and decided to swim to the nearest island using the last rays of sunset as our guide," he said.
A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said its thoughts were with the man's family. Mr Ardi said his boat capsized after being hit by big waves from the back and side so the group threw the surfboards in the water and jumped onto them to survive."I paddled in the direction of Nias and I could see the lighthouse of Sarang Baung Island," he told the ABC.
Mr Foote said patchy reception on the nearby islands had made it difficult to get in contact with the search crew for official confirmation, but he has since heard from a friend who told him Elliot is safe.
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