The 40-Hour Surf Session

If you’re comfortable with traveling around the world to compete in random WQS events against an international field of talent with strange stickers and poor manners in heats, then you can do anything you set your mind to.

Or so it seems.

On March 16, in Cronulla, Australia, former QS warrior Blakey Johnston will attempt to surf for 40 hours straight and catch no less than 500 waves. If he succeeds, he’ll set a new world record for the longest surf session.

He’ll start surfing at 2 AM on Thursday morning and won’t come in until 4 PM on Friday.

To put that into perspective, it takes 20 hours to fly from Sydney to London. So, in theory, you could get to the other side of the world and back while he’s still out there.

Currently, South African Josh Elsin holds the record for the world’s longest surf after surfing for thirty hours and eleven minutes. He caught over 455 waves.

However, this is about more than just a world record for Blakey. He’s using the event to raise funds and bring awareness for topics close to his heart: mental health and suicide. Ten years ago, Blakey lost his father to suicide. He’s hoping to make some noise and raise some funds, all of which will be donated to the Chumpy Pullin Foundation — which focuses on mental health and living life to the fullest — and was started by Blakey’s brother Ben Johnston. “This event will be just as much about honoring dad as it will be breaking the record for us,” says Ben.

Now, a 40-hour surf is anything but a stroll in the park. “Our biggest concerns are dehydration, sleep deprivation and sun and salt damage to his eyes,” according to Ben. Regardless, Blakey is excited. “I know I’m fit enough to do it, and I’ve put myself through enough long distance endurance tasks to know I’m mentally tough enough to do it”.

He’s got the grit. But what if he can’t pull it off?

“They’ll have to pull an unconscious body out of the water for me not to complete this,” Blakey says. “People are capable of more than what they are led to believe, and in achieving this I want to prove that with a little grit and determination your capable of any dream”.

While Blakey grind it out, there’ll be a tag-team event featuring the local boardriders clubs. He also welcomes anyone in the area to share the lineup with him.

Get behind it, here.