Man finds surfboard that drifted 2,400km from Australia to New Zealand
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Mr Alvaro Bon found the 2.29m cream-coloured surfboard covered in barnacles and mussels.
PHOTO: ALBARITO BUENO/FACEBOOK
A man found an intact surfboard that was washed up on a beach in New Zealand, 2,400km from where it was lost more than a year ago off the coast of Australia.
New Zealand-based French surfer Alvaro Bon was kite surfing in the coastal town of Raglan on North Island on Oct 15 when he spotted the 2.29m cream-coloured board, half-buried in sand dunes on the northern end of the beach.
The surfboard was covered in barnacles and mussels, but was otherwise in relatively good condition.
That was when Mr Bon, 30, realised that it may have come from New Zealand’s South Island or Australia.
“I knew the currents and it was definitely possible. When I brought it back, all my surf mates were so stoked; everybody was so excited,” he told British newspaper The Guardian.
Days later, he decided to clean the surfboard and look for its owner.
Mr Bon posted pictures of the surfboard, including one showing the unique design of its manufacturer, in several Facebook groups.
He then went off to surf, and when he came back two hours later he found thousands of comments and shares, with people speculating about the surfboard’s origin and his unusual find.
Among the messages was one from a man called Liam, who said he lost the surfboard during a boat trip off the coast of Tasmania in Australia on May 10, 2024.
In a post in a Facebook surfing group, Mr Bon wrote: “The board drifted 17 months and ended up in Raglan, where I found it.”
He said Liam sent him pictures to prove that he was the owner of the surfboard.
“Liam couldn’t believe it,” Mr Bon told The Guardian. “He told me that was one of his favourite boards… and he was really missing it.”
The surfboard had fallen overboard with its bag and rope still attached, he said.
“I think that’s why the surfboard is so intact, because the board bag must have only come off a few months ago.”
The surfboard is now on its way back to Liam – this time by air – after Mr Bon handed it over to Liam’s family, who were in Auckland for a wedding, on Oct 28.
