40-Year-Old Surfer Raises $315,494 for a Noble Cause After Breaking Guinness World Record

The deep blue ocean paves the way for everyone who seeks thrills within its infinity. While some chase the adrenaline rush, some paddle to chase torrents on the wave crest. But, an Australian surfer has taken the sport of surfing to the extreme and set a new world record in the process. Blake Johnston is a surfing instructor and a former pro surfer from New South Wales, Australia. On 16th March, he grabbed his surfing board and started paddling at Cronulla beach at 1 am. The next day, on 17th March at 7:11 am AEDT, Johnston hit the 30 hours 11-minute mark and inscribed his name in the Guinness Book of World records.

However, rather than ending his surfing spree, he went back into the water for 10 more hours. Interestingly, the sole purpose behind his extraordinary surfing spree is to raise money for a noble cause.

Australian surfer sets a new world record and paddles to raise awareness about mental health

As per the report by 9 News, the 40-year-old had surfed 525 waves within his 30 hours of surfing binge. He embarked on the mammoth surfing session to raise $250,000 for mental health. However, in the 30 hours 11-minute window, he ended up raising $315,494 with his incredible moxie. The funds will go directly to the Chumpy Pullin Foundation for Youth Mental Health. 

However, before he undertook the task, his medical team warned him about the risks involved in his record-breaking attempt. As per the doctors, surfing for such long hours may cause possible blindness, infected ears, dehydration, insomnia, hypothermia, and drowning. Nonetheless, the surfing coach expressed his faith and fortitude that he’d be able to complete the task. Johnston stated, “I thought I could just do it. I can run for 40 hours”. He further added, “This way, I can surf with people, bring in the community and make a difference for the future”.

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Interestingly, after coming out of the water for a short while, the 40-year-old went back to chase some more waves and raise more funds for the mental health foundation. More so, the surfer will reach the 40-hour mark by 5 pm today. “Everyone deserves to feel awesome…deserves to take care of yourself”, Johnston said before running back into the water. The Australian surfing instructor indeed has an exceptional tenacity and endurance of surfing to great lengths while simultaneously defying all odds. 

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What do you think of Blake Johnston’s incredible surfing prowess? Tell us in the comment section below.