Blake Breaks The Record For World's Longest Surf Session

stunet's picture
By Stu Nettle (stunet)

Blake Breaks The Record For World's Longest Surf Session

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

(All photos courtesy of Matt Dunbar)

At 7:12 this morning Cronulla's Blake Johnston officially set a new world record for the world's longest surf session. The old record was 30 hours and 11 minutes.

With the record broken, Blake hugged his kids then paddled ashore to a bank of microphones and TV cameras, plus a thousand cheering locals flanking the beach and esplanade.

"I've still got a job to do," said a remarkably fresh looking Blake. "I said forty so I'll go for that."

And with that he paddled back out towards the rising eastern sun. Today's surf has dropped from yesterday, but is still clean and 2ft-ish from the east with the Alley rip bowl improving through the rising tide.

Before Blake hit the water at 1am yesterday, he'd raised $90,000 for the Chumpy Pullin Foundation and youth mental health. The total currently stands at $225,000 and is growing.

Now's the time to click the link and get on board.

Comments

Max Wax's picture
Max Wax's picture
Max Wax Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 9:48am

What an absolute legend!

bogtrotter676767's picture
bogtrotter676767's picture
bogtrotter676767 Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 5:35pm

Yah rite... yawn. Time to go catch some barrels instead!

Max Wax's picture
Max Wax's picture
Max Wax Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 10:12pm

Listen here bogson

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:42am

Seconded Max.

andy-mac's picture
andy-mac's picture
andy-mac Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:46am

Legend!!
Well done!

braudulio's picture
braudulio's picture
braudulio Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:48am

Well played sir!

Plasticspastic's picture
Plasticspastic's picture
Plasticspastic Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:49am

Well done blakey - epic effort..

I find this fascinating, I wonder how he was surfing? his timing and technique would been so on point and in tune.. yes probably not the sharpest.. but imagine 40 hours of consecutive hours to fine tune your turns.....

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:55am

Yeah, he seemed to be ripping after 13 hrs!
Surely fatigue would have to set in?
Muscle cramps.

Incredible effort.
Congrats Blake.

lampy's picture
lampy's picture
lampy Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 10:59am

I don't understand how 40 hrs is possible, 6 hrs in and I'm cramping and heading downhill fast

Swany's picture
Swany's picture
Swany Monday, 20 Mar 2023 at 6:46pm

Yea it would be interesting to hear about his training and strategy. It’s a flipping mammoth undertaking.

82shoes's picture
82shoes's picture
82shoes Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:36am

3 and a half hours at Superbank recently I had to turn around and catch the whitewater in, my arms were jelly and would’ve gone over the handlebars next wave
We’ll done Blake for a good cause

surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:58pm

Exactly. What's got me buggered is being in the surf 30-40 hrs is enough but he was still riding the waves every 10 mins or so like he'd just paddled out?

Roadkill's picture
Roadkill's picture
Roadkill Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:42am

Epic. DOMS will be a killer

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:43am

Top notch effort. Well beyond my comprehension for sure. Well done Blake.

Johknee's picture
Johknee's picture
Johknee Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:48am

Is it still the same surf session if you've come ashore?

Chicken Schnitty's picture
Chicken Schnitty's picture
Chicken Schnitty Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:18pm

You have to come in every now and then for the mandatory medical checks

surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:49pm

Yes they were checking blood pressure and pulse. The staff said he had "Hit a wall" around 1 am Friday morning and were rehydrating Blake while I was there. Honestly thought he was gone but he came good damn fast and went back out? Never seen anything like it.

Johknee's picture
Johknee's picture
Johknee Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:24pm

makes sense!

dlk92's picture
dlk92's picture
dlk92 Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:20pm

I've been told that if you surfed a spot then drove to another spot but kept your wetsuit on then it's still only the one session. On that logic I think Blakey's good here!

stinky_wes's picture
stinky_wes's picture
stinky_wes Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:37pm

Surely it's a new surf session if you leave the sand or the run-around route, unless of course you have to duck to your car to swap board/legrope/grab snacks. No issue with coming to the beach tent for medical check, sunscreen (especially important for redheads), sustenance and the all-important Vaseline

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:42pm

~ $ 308 K ~

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:39pm

$308,000 now.

Jumped about $60K in an hour.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:46pm

New Goal of 400k
Fark it ....go to 500K

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 12:48pm

Still out there in the Alley rip bowl:

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:03pm

The Nedd Brockman of the surf world.

Amazing effort

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:09pm

Be good to get his Blood work done when he finally finished...

surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:42pm

They will be taking him straight to the hospital.

Alex Papas's picture
Alex Papas's picture
Alex Papas Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:47pm

actually? or are you speculating? he seemed v coherent and surprisingly fresh when he came in to chat to cameras when he broke the record

surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:10pm

Yes St Johns ambos will take him.

Roadkill's picture
Roadkill's picture
Roadkill Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:10pm

if only he was an actor or a fashion designer or an ex politician...then he would be up for an award.

1 man doing something selflessly for charity doesn't really rate much.

Astroboomboy's picture
Astroboomboy's picture
Astroboomboy Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:13pm

Exactly.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:26pm

Incredible.
Way to go Blakey...what an inspiration.

Chris Burnup's picture
Chris Burnup's picture
Chris Burnup Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:29pm

What an absolute legend. Best i have ever done is 5 hours and i was cooked after that lol.

t-diddy's picture
t-diddy's picture
t-diddy Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:33pm

incredible! must be hypothermic

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 1:55pm

Stu- post surf interview on the cards?

Be interested in his mindset after such an epic effort.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 2:07pm

Yeah.

Gonna let all the celebrations pass though. Reckon the best insights will come to him in the silent moments when he's getting his energy back.

marcus's picture
marcus's picture
marcus Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 2:03pm

ok i am going to ask....

where does he poo?

wally's picture
wally's picture
wally Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 6:55pm

With these endurance records, I think you are allowed a 5 minute break per hour to attend to any personal needs.

Swany's picture
Swany's picture
Swany Monday, 20 Mar 2023 at 6:50pm

Ha!!

lampy's picture
lampy's picture
lampy Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 2:18pm

40 Hrs in a wetsuit. Hope it's good new one. The chafing might be third degree!

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 2:54pm

Why am I more impressed with this than toledos world title .

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 2:57pm

Surf cam shows he's still out there. He's a determined little bastard.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 3:22pm

and btw, that shot of him and his kids in the golden morning light has to be one of the great photos of all time as far as surfing goes

adam12's picture
adam12's picture
adam12 Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 3:57pm

Just checked the cam and he's still going. Superman. Just going 40hrs without sleep seems impossible to me, let alone surfing. Would love to see what his hands and feet look like after that long in the water. He deserves to be nominated for an Order of Australia, or get Tony Abbott to give him a Knighthood or something. The guy is a legend.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 4:04pm

Hands n Feet........
The ol Ranga Rod might be looking a bit Sad

Budgiesmuggla's picture
Budgiesmuggla's picture
Budgiesmuggla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 4:44pm

40hrs worth of shrinkage lol

adam12's picture
adam12's picture
adam12 Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:55pm

Yeah totally, don't really want to see that though

Standingleft's picture
Standingleft's picture
Standingleft Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 4:09pm

Blakey looks like he's paddling pretty slowly but easily catching waves, chucking it on the cutbacks.
He came to the beach, thought maybe it was over but no just a quick chat, paddles slowly back out for more. What a beast.

surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla's picture
surfing-cronulla Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 4:44pm

About 1/2 hr to go he just rode one to the beach slamming it like a pro! Basically letting the rip drift him back out with the jet ski and safety guys with him but how is this possible? The smell of victory ... go Blakey

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:02pm

Fast forward 2 days hes still out there .............

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:08pm

looks like hes coming in ......you little beauty Blake

wally's picture
wally's picture
wally Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:22pm

$331,000 raised now and growing.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:26pm

Fuck what a maniac

Chicken Schnitty's picture
Chicken Schnitty's picture
Chicken Schnitty Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 5:41pm

Well done to Blake, amazing effort but also well done to all the people who were supporting and keeping an eye on him out in the water.
I woke up last night and drove down there about 2am and there was such a good group of people out in the water and on the beach.

mattlock's picture
mattlock's picture
mattlock Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 6:19pm

There is not a dry eye in the house.

tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 6:24pm

Mission Accomplished
RESPECT +

I still can't get my head around it, so it must be quite incredible what's going on in his mind and body at the moment. Will certainly be looking forward to hearing his thoughts down the track.

southernraw's picture
southernraw's picture
southernraw Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 6:31pm

Epic.
Hats off legend.
He'll be dreaming about that rip bowl when he finally sleeps!!

AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 6:37pm

That’s MENTAL and HEALTHY all in the one huge effort, well done Blakey..

I did a 10hour 20 minutes stint in the Banyaks in 2018, ate three enormous meals straight after, felt great for days. The human body is such a forgiving and resilient beast. Again, well done.AW.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 7:46pm

That’s massive Alfred! Apart from Blake that would have to be the longest session I’ve heard of.
Especially in Indo, you must of been cooked? Any water?

AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 8:07am

Goofyfoot. Hi mate. 4ft Joysticks (Bay of Plenty Right ). In the water in the dark around 5..45am, guts still full from the huge rice, chicken, veggies from previous night. A quick breakfast, 4 bananas on dry cereal, key ingredient next, one of those 20c piece size vitamin tablets you get in a small tube from Aldi in 1.5 litres of water, scoffed down. Did get a Tetra Pak Manggu (mango) juice tossed to me around midday from the IRB. I’m one of those fruitcakes that goes to bed at 7.30pm on boat trips and wakes at 1-3am, excited about the next days surf, eating and rehydrating plenty well before dawn and primed to go. Did 10 hours at Maccas in 2008. AW.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 7:51pm

Blakey's Bowl. New name for Alley Rip bowl.

rooftop's picture
rooftop's picture
rooftop Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 8:19pm

Absolutely. An effort like that deserves some permanent naming rights.

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 8:31pm
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 8:54pm

What a dead set legend!

Andrew P's picture
Andrew P's picture
Andrew P Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 9:35pm

“Who was that guy, Danny?”

Blake’s previous best achievement (not knowing who Tom Carroll was) has definitely been surpassed. Absolute legend!

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 9:36pm

From now on his missus is gonna freak every time he says “just going for a quick surf dear”

rooftop's picture
rooftop's picture
rooftop Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 10:33am

It really is a long time. When he paddled out he was clean shaven.

sean killen's picture
sean killen's picture
sean killen Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:24pm

You legend Blake well done champion .. I’ve only had a hand full of benders ( younger years) footy trips etc .. that went that long ..,massive effort mate for a great cause.. legendary

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Friday, 17 Mar 2023 at 11:47pm

Blakey "brine" Johnston.

Remigogo's picture
Remigogo's picture
Remigogo Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 7:04am

I'd thought no way in the world he'd go the whole 40 he's.

Incredible effort. He has a pulse right?

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 9:19am

$347, 500

mickseq's picture
mickseq's picture
mickseq Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 12:34pm

Interesting people are surprised by this, I read a while back that most people only go around 10-20% of what they are capable of [physical endurance] at 80% your body will shut the brain down to stop you from dying, if I find the source I will post it.

tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter Saturday, 18 Mar 2023 at 6:14pm

That's probably true, but even with those percentages a 40 hour stint in the briney surfing your arse off is beyond what most mere mortals are capable of.
Reckon you could beat it? Genuine question.

CMC's picture
CMC's picture
CMC Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 9:42am

Amazing feat by him, well done for raising all that money for his chosen cause. Anyone know how his recovery has gone? Still sore or coming good pretty quickly?
I'm curious to know how slow or quick you recover after something like that both mentally and physically

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 9:49am

Was up early the next day...left over Sushi for brekky and then down the beach swimming with the Family ..

AndyM's picture
AndyM's picture
AndyM Tuesday, 21 Mar 2023 at 12:48pm

Beast

CMC's picture
CMC's picture
CMC Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 11:01am

Thanks Udo
Good to hear that recovery was quick and back into it with the family,
A good news story amongst all the other crap we hear about everyday!!

Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 12:17pm

Only looking slightly parched after the extended session which is to be expected. Ripper effort to a good cause Blakey. But was there any wetty rash? Local legends getting it done, this and Ned Brockman pushing it for others. A good news story most certainly CMC.

Mosh's picture
Mosh's picture
Mosh Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 1:07pm

Does anyone know how many waves he actually caught in the 40 hrs?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 1:10pm

707. His goal was 500.

Mosh's picture
Mosh's picture
Mosh Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 1:33pm

That is crazy, so he wasn't even just coasting through it. 17 waves an hour, prob more than what a lot of people would get in a whole session.

wally's picture
wally's picture
wally Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 5:11pm

He not only surfed 707 waves, he was jamming turns on each one like he was in a competition heat. His mates were telling him to ease up.

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Sunday, 19 Mar 2023 at 9:38pm

Just going for a quick surf luv

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 21 Mar 2023 at 12:32pm

This week, Blake is holding a surf/wellness camp for Cronulla High students on the NSW South Coast. So, two days off from his record-breaking effort and he's back on the grind.

Can you say 'indefatigable'?

He's currently up to $414K raised.

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Wednesday, 22 Mar 2023 at 4:24pm

Had this world record pop up in my feed, another one where you go "fark"

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Thursday, 23 Mar 2023 at 4:53pm