Lost and Found: Surfboard's Incredible 2,400km Journey from Australia to New Zealand
A remarkable tale of serendipity and ocean currents unfolded in the sleepy coastal town of Raglan on New Zealand's North Island. Nearly 18 months ago, French surfer Alvaro Bon lost his kite while kite surfing in the area. As he was being pulled out to sea, something caught his eye in the dunes - a surfboard shining in the distance.
Bon paddled towards the board and discovered it had been lying there for months, shrouded in sand and seaweed. Initially unsure of its origin, Bon cleaned the board and sent out a Facebook post seeking help to identify its owner. The post went viral, sparking a global frenzy as surfers from around the world speculated about the board's journey.
After scouring through thousands of messages, Bon finally received a hit - a man named Liam claimed ownership of the board, which he had lost during a boat trip off the coast of Tasmania, approximately 2,400km away. The two were soon in touch, and Bon arranged to return the board to Liam's family.
The surfboard's incredible journey has left experts stunned. Dr. Edward Doddridge from the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies estimated that it may have hitched a ride on either the East Australian Current or the Antarctic Circumpolar current before washing up in Raglan.
"It would be quite the adventure, and we can't know for sure," said Dr. Doddridge, highlighting the tiny possibility of such an extraordinary event occurring. The board's remarkable odyssey has left many questioning the unpredictability of ocean currents.
With the surfboard safely back in Liam's hands, Bon reflected on the incident, suggesting that perhaps there was a reason for their paths to cross. "The day I lost my kite, I found Liam's board," he said wryly. The incredible tale serves as a poignant reminder of the mysteries and wonders hidden beneath our oceans' surface.
A remarkable tale of serendipity and ocean currents unfolded in the sleepy coastal town of Raglan on New Zealand's North Island. Nearly 18 months ago, French surfer Alvaro Bon lost his kite while kite surfing in the area. As he was being pulled out to sea, something caught his eye in the dunes - a surfboard shining in the distance.
Bon paddled towards the board and discovered it had been lying there for months, shrouded in sand and seaweed. Initially unsure of its origin, Bon cleaned the board and sent out a Facebook post seeking help to identify its owner. The post went viral, sparking a global frenzy as surfers from around the world speculated about the board's journey.
After scouring through thousands of messages, Bon finally received a hit - a man named Liam claimed ownership of the board, which he had lost during a boat trip off the coast of Tasmania, approximately 2,400km away. The two were soon in touch, and Bon arranged to return the board to Liam's family.
The surfboard's incredible journey has left experts stunned. Dr. Edward Doddridge from the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies estimated that it may have hitched a ride on either the East Australian Current or the Antarctic Circumpolar current before washing up in Raglan.
"It would be quite the adventure, and we can't know for sure," said Dr. Doddridge, highlighting the tiny possibility of such an extraordinary event occurring. The board's remarkable odyssey has left many questioning the unpredictability of ocean currents.
With the surfboard safely back in Liam's hands, Bon reflected on the incident, suggesting that perhaps there was a reason for their paths to cross. "The day I lost my kite, I found Liam's board," he said wryly. The incredible tale serves as a poignant reminder of the mysteries and wonders hidden beneath our oceans' surface.
Just had to see this surfboard story through... 2,400km is wild! 
Who knew a lost kite could lead to a global search party? 
Glad it was reunited with its owner, Liam... but I'm still wondering how that board ended up in Raglan Dunes 
. Ocean currents are crazy powerful, like, what's the chance of it just riding those waves all the way from Australia 
?
anyway apparently it was found by some guy while kite surfing and he thought it was abandoned so he cleaned it and posted about it on facebook and the rest is history 
anyway glad lil guy got his board back 
. It's a pretty cool tale, though, and I'm glad everything worked out in the end 
.
and posts it online for its owner... and guess what? THE OWNER FINDS IT AND IT WAS FROM TASMANIA!!! 
i mean, dr dodridge is saying it's crazy unlikely to happen but like, isn't that kinda the whole point of ocean currents being unpredictable 
idk how that surfboard even got there lol. i mean, east aussie current or antarctic circumpolar current... sounds like some crazy ocean magic to me 
. I'm glad Liam got his board back, and Alvaro was able to do the right thing by returning it, but still... 2,400km is wild! 
? The East Australian Current or Antarctic Circumpolar current just carried it across 2,400km? 
. I mean, you're basically saying it's not even possible for a surfboard to go that far on its own 
. Still, I guess it's an interesting story to tell 
.
I mean, I've heard of lost and found, but this is like, totally mind-blowing. I'm not surprised Dr. Doddridge is saying it's unlikely the board traveled that far naturally, but still... 2400km? That's crazy! 
. I remember when we used to lose things all the time and thought they were gone forever... how do you even lose a surfboard, though? It's not like it's going anywhere 
r they like super unpredictable or wut? 
seriously though, 18 months in the dunes and no one claimed it until an Aussie surfer posted on facebook? 
