Australian breaks world record for longest surf session, raising funds for mental health

SYDNEY –

After spending nearly two straight days surfing, Australian Blake Johnston broke the world record for the longest surfing session ever, totalling more than 40 hours.

The former pro-surfer broke the previous world record of 30 hours and 11 minutes on Friday after spending more than 40 hours surfing in the waters of Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia. In a video posted on Instagram, Johnston is seen being greeted back on land by a large crowd of supporters and tearfully hugging his family after his incredible feat.

Johnston was initially going to set off for a 1,000 km run to raise funds for mental-health initiatives with the Chumpy Pullin Foundation, however he wanted to raise the stakes to honour his own father who died by suicide 10 years ago

“I thought, I could just do it. I can run for 40 hours,” Johnston said on his campaign website. “But, this way, I can surf with people, bring in the community and make a difference for the future.”

He has since raised AU$346,178 ($318,263) of his $400,000 goal to help the organization fund youth mental-health initiatives and suicide prevention.

“This is all about honoring the legacy of our amazing dad who took his own life 10 years ago this year,” his brother Ben Johnston told media on Friday. “This is a personal journey that he’s been on and we’re just so immensely proud of what he’s done and what he’s doing, he’s amazing.”