Search for missing Aussie grows
AAP
Indonesian police say they didn’t delay notifying Australian authorities about a missing surfer, as the search for him enters its eleventh day.
Peter Maynard, 45, was last seen on the morning of August 27 having breakfast at a hotel on Nusa Lembongan, an island just off Bali, where he was staying alone.
The hotel raised the alarm when he didn’t check out on August 28, and they found all of his personal effects and his room intact.
However it wasn’t until six days later, on September 3, that the father-of three’s Queensland family was notified of a problem.
His wife Kylie rushed to Bali from her Noosa home on Thursday, with Mr Maynard’s brother John and other relatives.
The search party grew on Saturday, with more surfers and expats joining in, and the family considering hiring a chopper to get an aerial view of the area.
The Australian consulate-general was first contacted by Indonesian police about the case on the afternoon of September 3.
The owner of the bungalows where Mr Maynard was staying, Made Utomo, says he personally went to Nusa Penida police station on the afternoon of August 28.
“At first I waited, who knows, Mr Maynard may return,” he said.
“Our staff and local people looked around but after confirming he wasn’t here, I went and reported it to police, I didn’t delay.”
Detective Nyoman Wirajaya says he phoned an Australian consulate staff member on the same night, followed up with a text message.
An official document was sent on September 3, he said.
He said police were putting everything into the search.
“Since we received the report on the 28th, we’ve been looking,” he said.
“I’ve deployed all personnel and resources to help the water police.”
The case has baffled police, who believe if Mr Maynard did go missing in the surf, they would have found his board by now.
The search on Saturday began with sweeps of cliffs and outcrops on Nusa Lembongan.
Nusa Penida police chief Nyoman Suarsika says private boat owners and fishermen are helping, with all told to look out for a surfboard or a person who looks lost.
“The result is still zero,” he said.
The family on Friday visited the room where Mr Maynard stayed, and confirmed a surfboard and gear were missing.
John Maynard made a brief statement to reporters, saying they believed on August 27, Peter went for a surf at one of the local breaks known as Shipwrecks, Lacerations or Playgrounds.
“We understand the ocean conditions on that day were relatively benign,” he said.
It’s believed Mr Maynard was wearing a bright blue surf vest or rashie and dark-coloured boardshorts, and had a white Hammo brand surfboard.