Australian shreds record for longest surf session

• By Tom Housden
• BBC News, Sydney

five hours ago

Image supply, Getty Pictures

An Australian man has broken the globe record for the longest surfing session – and was continuing to ride waves till Friday evening nearby time.

Blake Johnston’s record break came soon after 30 hours and 11 minutes in the water at Cronulla beach in south Sydney.

Describing himself as “fairly cooked”, Johnston told reporters he would retain going as “I nevertheless have a job to do”.

His board-riding marathon has raised some $A240,000 (£132,000) for charity.

Image supply, Getty Pictures

Image caption,

Johnston is raising revenue for the Chumpy Pullin Foundation and mental well being charities

With spotlights to illuminate a section of Cronulla’s surf recognized as “The Alley”, Johnston kept going overnight and by Friday lunchtime had ridden more than 600 waves.

The 40-year-old former pro surfer and distance runner faces the danger of blindness, infected ears and dehydration, as effectively as sleep deprivation, hypothermia, shark attack and jellyfish stings.

He emerged briefly from the sea at lunchtime on Friday for a healthcare verify-up, and to acquire eye-drops.

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“I surfed at two in the morning with him, and the lights truly went out so it was pitch black,” his brother Ben told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“There have been a entire bunch of jellyfish out there, so it was fascinating to say the least.”

Speaking ahead of his challenge, Johnston stated: “I believed, I could just do it. I can run for 40 hours,”

“But, this way, I can surf with individuals, bring in the neighborhood and make a distinction for the future.”

Johnston is fundraising for the Chumpy Pullin Foundation, set up in the memory of Australian Olympic snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin who drowned off the Gold Coast whilst spearfishing in 2020.

He is also supporting mental well being charities, partly in tribute to his father who took his personal life a decade ago.