Man finds surfboard that drifted 2,400km from Australia to New Zealand – and then finds its owner | New Zealand

A surfboard that went missing off the coast of Australia nearly 18 months ago has crashed on one of New Zealand’s most famous surf beaches, thousands of kilometers from where it was last seen.

French New Zealand surfer Alvaro Bon was kitesurfing in Raglan on the west coast of the North Island on October 15 when his kite got stuck in the water and began to drift out to sea.

As he drifted downstream, he noticed something shining among the dunes at the northern end of the beach.

“I left the kite and started paddling towards the shore. [beach] …and there I found the board.”

Bon told the Guardian that the board was slightly yellow, but had a new-looking wax coating and was in relatively good condition. Bon knew the board was handmade and shaped for larger waves, but he couldn’t recognize the brand.

“Then I turned it over and it was covered in clams and barnacles.”

He then realized it might have come from the South Island or Australia.

“I knew the currents and it was definitely possible. When I brought it back all my surfing buddies were so excited, everyone was so excited.”

The wood remained in his garden for a few more days until the smell of rotting clams and barnacles forced him to clean it up.

“I really started paying attention to it and realized there would be a story behind it and I should look for the owner.”

Bon posted pictures of his surfboard and a message on Facebook to Australian and South African surf groups asking for help identifying the owner, and went surfing. When he checked his phone two hours later, the posts had blown up, with surfers around the world speculating about the source and owner of the messages.

Among the thousands of messages was one that identified the owner of the board as a man named Liam, who lost it during a boat trip off the coast of Tasmania, about 2,400 km from Raglan, on May 10, 2024.

Bon and Liam quickly connected.

“Liam couldn’t believe it,” says Bon. “He told me it was one of his favorite boards and that he really missed it.”

Bon said he fell into the sea with his surfboard’s bag and rope still attached.

“I think that’s why the surfboard has remained so intact, because the surf bag must have only been out a few months ago.”

A physical oceanographer from the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Research says the surfboard may have drifted across the Tasman via the East Australian Current or the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which circles the globe. he told 1News.

“There’s a very small, extremely small chance that the surfboard will go south, hitch a ride on a very fast part of the current and travel around the world before washing up in New Zealand,” Edward Doddridge said.

“It would be quite an adventure and we can’t be sure of that.”

After Bon delivers it to Liam’s family in Auckland on Tuesday morning, the board begins its journey home, this time by air.

“I found Liam’s board the day I lost my kite,” Bon said. “Maybe there was a reason.”