An Australian couple are stranded on a small Indonesian island after their yacht's engine failed and the vessel was pushed onto a reef in wild weather.
Catherine Delves and Peter Watt had been en route to Borneo to see the orangutans when "everything went a bit pear-shaped" and their 26-ton yacht ran aground off Gili Iyang in the Bali Sea this week.
"We're going to be here a while, I think," Ms Delves told the ABC from a local fisherman's home.
"We've missed the tide to try and get our boat off the rocks, off the reef … we could be here for another month."
The couple abandoned ship on Wednesday afternoon after their distress signals — a mayday call on the radio and sending up flares — went unanswered.
Police told local media they had attempted to carry out a rescue but were "unsuccessful due to high waves and big surf".
"Jumping off the boat was the scariest thing I've ever done," Mr Watt said.
"A few of the locals swam out halfway to help us as well. They went beyond what you'd expect — they were just so helpful."
Village head H Fathor told the ABC that locals had provided the couple with food, coffee and clean, dry clothing.
He said some locals who had worked in Bali spoke English and were able to communicate with them.
There was a hairline fracture in the bottom of the boat that would need to be welded shut when conditions permitted, Ms Delves told the ABC.
"We've got a lot of people on the case, but things don't move very quickly," she said.
In a social media post, Ms Delves posted footage of their grounded vessel in rough surf with the caption: "Our very own personal shipwreck!"
Stranded on 'oxygen island'
The couple started their voyage in 2021, sailing up the east coast of Australia to Darwin.
Previous trouble with the yacht's engine saw them work in Darwin for around three years before they set off again to the north.
"We were just sailing around Indonesia, we got a multiple-entry visa, to go and explore ourselves," Ms Delves said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to a couple in Indonesia.
Gili Iyang is sometimes referred to in Indonesia as "oxygen island" because its air is reputed to have some of the highest rates of oxygen in the world.
Ms Delves said the pair's experience there had been "brilliant … really hospitable, very welcoming".
"They're trying their hardest but, you know, we need 30 men to actually ... turn [the yacht] around."
Local fishermen have special channels through the reef, Ms Delves said, explaining they would need their assistance to guide the yacht out of the reef safely.
"That's the plan. But all plans change when things don't go to plan."
Additional reporting by .
