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For decades, surfers have been taking risky trips to hard-to-reach places across Indonesia looking for the ideal wave.
One of the most prized destinations is Aceh, where Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were on a surfing trip for Mr Foote's 30th birthday.
The four Australian surfers and three Indonesian crew members were aboard a small wooden speedboat when they hit bad weather and lost contact about 6pm on Sunday night.
The Australians and two Indonesian crew members were found alive after several days at sea, while one person remains missing.
Where were they going?
The Australians were in Aceh province, heading to Pingang Island in the Banyak Islands after setting off from Nias island.
Banyak translates as "many" and the 99 islands that make up the group can only be reached by boat.
Some surfers camp in the area, and there is cheap accommodation available too.
Many surfers charter bigger boats to travel to the islands, but it isn't uncommon for small groups to hire local boats and set out, Dan Howard, who runs the popular Indo Surf & Lingo guide, told the ABC.
"It's not something that would be considered dangerous because the locals do it all the time," Mr Howard said.
"They've got those wooden boats and they're travelling between the islands all the time, it's how they get around."
The Banyak Islands are most popular between March and November.
"Every one of those islands would have some sort of surf spot on it," Mr Howard, who has been surfing in Indonesia since the 1980s, said.
What's the lure?
The Banyak Islands and Nias island sound like a surfer's paradise.
For starters, the Banyak Islands have what Mr Howard called "the perfect wave".
The conditions are so good there was a professional surfing competition there last year.
"The combination of the light offshore winds and the reef breaks and the consistent swell just gives you the recipe for perfect surf," he said.
It's not just the surf that draws people.
"Oh, man, it's just a beautiful place. It's just palm trees, the water's a beautiful temperature," Mr Howard said.
"The waves are so good. The fishing is incredible.
"It's near the equator, so it gets hot, but because you're near the ocean, you get the sea breezes and it's just such a beautiful place to be."
The area is also cheap to stay in, meaning surfers can travel for months living on about $10 a day.
One of the other things inspiring people to venture out to these islands is their remoteness and distance from tourist hotspots.
"Bali is so crowded now," Mr Howard said.
"There's nightclubs on the cliffs above some of these perfect waves in Bali these days."
'The power of the wave'
Patrick Reilly, who's originally from the United States, has been going to the Sorake Beach on Nias every year for the last two decades.
"I like the remoteness of it. The wave, the tube, is one of the best tubes in the world. That's what surfers are chasing," he told the ABC.
"It has a very powerful wave so you have to be very focused. When it gets good and big, to catch the waves you want to catch, it's a huge challenge."
Mr Reilly has surfed many other spots in Indonesia, but always returns to Nias.
"One thing that draws me and most people back to Nias is the power of the wave," he said.
"And it's a real village lifestyle. It's almost like a utopia for someone like myself. It's just paradise."
He said the spot had always been popular with Australian tourists, with more from European countries, Brazil and America also coming now.
Kristov Wau, the leader of Nias Surfing Association, said surfers from other countries had come to Nias to surf due to its wave and stable weather.
"It's the beauty of the wave, most of them said it's the second best in the world after Hawaii because the wave actually breaks in the bay and is surrounded by the palm trees," he said.
People normally travel to Nias either by plane or ferry.
While the Banyak Islands are harder to reach at the moment, Mr Howard thinks the area will change.
"On these little islands — they're going to end up with very big resorts all over them," he said.
"But that might take 10 or 20 years."
Were they lucky to be found?
Given the group's surfing knowledge and skills and swimming abilities, Mr Howard said he was optimistic they would be found when he first heard the news.
"By the sounds of things they got their surfboards off the boat and stayed afloat," he said.
"I thought they'd be fine, I thought they could last a long time and I thought they'd be found pretty quickly."
As soon as it was known the surfers and the boat crew had gotten into trouble, a local charter boat operator immediately organised a search, Mr Howard said.
The owner of Banyak Surf Resort, Julian Lauencoan, said three of the four Australians were eventually rescued by a catamaran.
The father of Elliot Foote said he had been told his son paddled away from the rest of his group to find help.
It is understood Mr Foote was found near Palambak Island, while the others were rescued near Sarang Alu.
One Indonesian crew member is still missing, while the other two are safe.
The group were among 12 Australians and five Indonesians who were travelling to Pinang Island in two boats.