Australian Blake Johnston broke the world record for the longest surf session early Friday morning, hitting the waves to raise money for mental health, after surfing for more than 30 hours and 11 minutes at Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia.
In a short video posted to his Instagram shortly after breaking the record, Johnston said he would return to surfing. «I still have work to do. I said 40 hours, so let’s go back,» said the former professional surfer, who expected to be in the water until 5 p.m. Australian time.
By Friday morning, Johnston had already caught more than 500 waves. He began the surf session early Thursday with the goal of raising A$250,000 – €157,362 – for the Chumpy Pullin Foundation and youth mental health causes.
«Everyone deserves to feel amazing,» Johnston said. The Chumpy Pullin Foundation was created to honor the memory of Australian professional snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, who passed away in 2020.
Johnston had originally planned to complete a 1,000-kilometer ride, but after a seven-hour session in a Melbourne wave pool he discovered that the world record for the longest surf session, set by South Africa’s Josh Elsin, was «only» 30 hours and 11 minutes.
«I thought I could do it. I can surf for 40 hours,» he said on his fundraising page. «But, this way, I can surf with people, engage the community and make a difference for the future,» he finished.
