‘It feels like a dream’: teenager describes ordeal of drifting 30km overnight off Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula

A teenager who survived the night drifting on inflatable paddleboards in choppy waters off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula with three friends has described their escape as a "miracle".

The two 18-year-old men and two women, 18 and 19, were found on Swan Island off the Bellarine Peninsula about 9am on Tuesday after they got caught in strong easterly winds.

The group set off on two inflatable paddleboards on Monday evening from Rosebud foreshore before drifting into the middle of Port Phillip bay, and ultimately ending up about 30km away.

Cold and disoriented when they washed up about 2am on Tuesday, they found shelter in a hut. Once the sun rose, they wandered Swan Island before being found by security officers.

Speaking from hospital in Geelong, one of the group, 18-year-old Rong Shi, explained how they were swept away by strong winds and carried across the bay.

"There was a point where we were really tired," he told the ABC. "When I closed my eyes, I felt like I couldn't feel my hands were still attached to my nerves. It still feels like a dream to me. [I] can't believe we made it - if you look back, it's really, it's a miracle."

As they drifted further from shore and failed to attract the attention of passing boats, two of them fell in the water and they decided to stay on the boards.

"We found out that we really couldn't turn direction so we just decided to stay on board and do nothing, to keep some energy," Shi said.

"There was a point that it was really hard, because we could see the helicopters and boats searching for us."

They were finally taken to Geelong hospital in stable conditions with no obvious injuries, Ambulance Victoria said.

Island security and military personnel ultimately alerted police.

"All too often, these things usually end in tragedy," acting inspector Ian Pregnell told Melbourne radio 3AW.

"This is, one might say, a Christmas miracle."

Jack Shi, father of one of the teens, told Nine News of his and the other parents' relief.

"We're very, very happy about that. It's huge, huge relief. We were very desperate," he said.

Swan Island is a military training base on one side and Queenscliff Golf Club is on the other.

It has a long history of military use and a fort was originally established on the island to protect the entrance to Port Phillip Bay from potential Russian invasion in the 1870s.

During the first world war it was used as a depot for naval mines before becoming a training base after the second world war.

Winds in the area were easterly and south-easterly on Monday evening and overnight, and blowing at 20-30km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

However at South Channel Island - a close observation point - they reached 30-40km/h. The highest gust recorded was 52km/h about 4am, although the observation point is particularly exposed, duty forecaster Ilana Cherny said.

The group's belongings including phones and IDs were found on the beach by a passerby about 8pm on Monday, triggering the search.

The effort was called off about 4am due to deteriorating conditions but resumed at first light.

A man who said he was the father of one of the boys told Seven's Sunrise the teens had just completed their final school exams and went to Rosebud for an end-of-year celebration.

The successful rescue came a day after a couple was found safe and well in the Grampians in Victoria's west after their car became bogged at the weekend.

Rosebud is a popular summer tourist destination. Its main beach faces into Port Phillip bay, approximately 25km from where the bay opens out into Bass Strait.