Teenagers who were lost at sea speak about terrifying experience
<p dir="ltr">The four teenagers who were lost at sea after paddling out on inflatable boards at the Mornington Peninsula have spoken about their terrifying experience.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Two 18-year-old males, an 18-year-old female and a 19-year-old female from Glen Waverley, were paddling at the beach just off Point Nepean Rd in Rosebud, Victoria when they were swept out to sea.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They joined their boards together to ensure no one would be left behind and drifted through the icy night on their journey of more than 30 kilometres.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Around 2 am they finally saw some land, arriving at the Australian Defence Force facility on Swan Island.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking out since the horrific ordeal, the four teenagers said they never lost hope that they would be eventually found.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We were just trying to stay alive, and we started trying to call out to passing boats,” Rong Shi told 7NEWS.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sally Liu was worried about spending the night floating on a paddleboard and if they would survive the conditions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I’m thinking ... do we have to stay for the night on this paddleboard and how can we survive?” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I thought maybe it was my last night ... because for myself I am not a good swimmer.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another survivor, Shi Rui Heng, said she just wanted to go home back to her mother after getting into a fight with her earlier that day.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I was thinking about my mum because we’d had a fight the day before, I just wanted to go home and apologise to her,” she said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I’ve never been that cold before, it was pretty scary.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite their circumstances the four tried to make the best of the situation and appreciated the scenery around them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“There were stars in the sky and there were shiny little fish in the sea ... so it was pretty,” Rui Heng said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The group are truly lucky to be alive after the strong current swept them from Rosebud Beach to Swan Island in the Queenscliff area before they were eventually found.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“They’ve gone from here (Rosebud) to where we are straight across Port Phillip Bay ... it’s a fair way,” Acting Inspector Terence Rowlands said.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7News</em></p>
