Current:Home > FinanceAustralian surfs for 40 hours to smash world record, braving pitch-black seas and dodging swarms of jellyfish-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Australian surfs for 40 hours to smash world record, braving pitch-black seas and dodging swarms of jellyfish
View Date:2024-12-23 16:54:00
Australian Blake Johnston on Friday shredded the world record for the longest surfing session, dodging swarms of jellyfish to ride hundreds of waves across 40 punishing hours.
The 40-year-old former surfing pro broke down in tears after smashing South African Josh Enslin's previous record of 30 hours and 11 minutes.
Johnston surfed back to shore in the evening to rapturous applause from hundreds of supporters who had gathered at Sydney's Cronulla Beach to watch.
Wearing a black cowboy hat and draped in a thermal blanket, he was carried off the beach on his friends' shoulders after finally hanging up his surfboard.
Johnston raised more than Aus$330,000 (US$221,000) for mental health, taking on the record to mark 10 years since losing his father to suicide.
He rode more than 700 waves in setting the record, braving pitch-black seas that are home to many species of shark.
"I've still got a job to do. I said 40 (hours) so I'll go and give it a crack," he told reporters earlier in the day, after passing the previous 30-hour record.
"I'm pretty cooked, yeah, but we'll push through."
Johnston eventually surfed for more than 40 hours -- having started at 1:00 am on Thursday, using large spotlights to illuminate the water — but his official record time was not immediately known.
Under the rules of the attempt, he was allowed to sporadically leave the ocean so he could soothe his eyes with eyedrops, refuel with snacks and lather himself up in sunscreen.
Medics would check his heart rate and blood pressure before he dashed back into the swell.
With Sydney in the grip of a minor heatwave, the water temperature has been hovering around a balmy 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), lessening the risk of hypothermia.
Johnston had originally planned to raise money by tackling a 1,000-kilometer run, but settled on surfing when he saw the previous record was "only" 30 hours.
"I thought I could just do it," he said before the attempt.
"I push myself to the limits with my adventures and to prove to myself that I'm worthy and can get through hard times, and that's when my lessons are learnt."
He anticipated infected ears, dehydration and sleep deprivation would push his body to its limits.
Johnston's brother Ben said they had also prepared for the possibility of a shark attack, but it wasn't something that had worried them.
"I surfed at two in the morning with him and the lights actually went out so it was pitch black," he told national broadcaster ABC.
"There were a whole bunch of jellyfish out there, so it was interesting to say the least."
It is not Johnston's first time taking part in a marathon test of human endurance.
In 2020, he ran 100 kilometers along the rugged coastline south of Sydney — covering the vast majority of the trek in bare feet.
- In:
- Australia
veryGood! (449)
Related
- AI could help scale humanitarian responses. But it could also have big downsides
- '(Expletive) bum': Knicks' Jalen Brunson heckled by own father during NBA 3-point contest
- The Daily Money: Jeff Bezos unloads more Amazon stock
- Mississippi might allow incarcerated people to sue prisons over transgender inmates
- John Krasinski Revealed as People's Sexiest Man Alive 2024
- Dolly Parton praises Beyoncé for No.1 spot on country music chart
- Alpha Elite Capital (AEC) Corporate Management, Practitioners for the Benefit of Society
- Vice Media says ‘several hundred’ staff members will be laid off, Vice.com news site shuttered
- Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
- '(Expletive) bum': Knicks' Jalen Brunson heckled by own father during NBA 3-point contest
Ranking
- California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
- EPA approves year-round sales of higher ethanol blend in 8 Midwest states
- Los Angeles County district attorney seeks reelection in contest focused on feeling of public safety
- Atlanta is the only place in US to see pandas for now. But dozens of spots abroad have them
- Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
- Winery host says he remembers D.A. Fani Willis paying cash for California Napa Valley wine tasting
- Wendy Williams' guardian files lawsuit against Lifetime's parent company ahead of documentary
- Watch melted during atomic blast over Hiroshima sells for more than $31,000
Recommendation
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
-
What’s next after the Alabama ruling that counts IVF embryos as children?
-
Wendy Williams' Medical Diagnosis: Explaining Primary Progressive Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia
-
Players opting to appear in new EA Sports college football video game will receive $600
-
Man charged with murder in fatal shooting of 2 workers at Chicago’s Navy Pier
-
Two men charged in Vermont murder-for-hire case to go on trial in September
-
Houthi missile hits ship in Gulf of Aden as Yemeni rebels continue attacks over Israel-Hamas war
-
60 million Americans experience heartburn monthly. Here's what causes it.