Fears for four Australians and three other passengers whose charter boat never returned to their resort on a private island in Indonesia

Four young Australians on a surfing holiday are among seven missing after their charter boat failed to return to their resort on a private island in Indonesia. 

They were among a group of 12 Australians across two wooden longboats travelling between Nias Island and Aceh’s Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the vessel struck bad weather on Sunday

Indonesian authorities have named the four Australians as Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short.

The other boat was able to find refuge on an island halfway from their destination, Sarang Alu, infamous for it’s dangerous conditions.

But the vessel with the four Australians and three Indonesian crew members is understood to have continued making the crossing despite the treacherous weather.

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Grave fears are being held for Four Australian boys who have gone missing on a charter boat off the coast of Nias Island, in Indonesia (stock image)

Speaking to the media on Monday, Indonesian National Search and Rescue agency Nias Island chief Octavianto said search teams had been dispatched to find the boys.

‘Last night the Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passsengers had arrived in Pinang Island (at around 10.18pm local time), while another speedboat with seven people on board had not arrived yet,’ he said.

‘We’ve deployed three ships…and they are now moving towards the location for search and rescue. However, the issue is that the (missing vessel) is a basic wooden boat without any tracking devices or the like.’

Poor weather and visibility have hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing boys. 

The 12 Aussies are believed to have departed from Nias Island at about 3pm on Sunday,  a trip that can take up to 11 hours.

More to come.