Blake Johnston, former professional surfer turned coach, broke the world record for longest surf early on Friday morning, multiple outlets reported. 

The world record for the longest surf was 30 hours and 11 minutes. Johnston not only broke that record but also stayed in the sea for 10 more hours, taking his tally to more than 40 hours in the waters. 

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Johnston is on a mission to raise 400,00 Australian dollars ($268,000) for youth mental health, CNN reports. 10 years ago, his father committed suicide and his mission his inspired by his father’s legacy. 

Who is Blake Johnston? 

Blake Johnston is a former professional surfer who turned into a surfing coach later in his life. He broke the world record for the longest surf on Friday, off the coast in southern Sydney, by staying in the sea for more than 40 hours, riding around 550 waves in the process. 

He started surfing around 1 am on Thursday and ended the session at 5 pm on Friday. After the completion of his world record-braking surfing session, he said to a news outlet that he was “cooked”, the Australian slag for exhausted. 

As he surfed, people gathered at Cronulla beach and cheered him on his mission. Local reports say that throughout the period he was on the sea, huge crowds were seen at the beach. After Johnston broke the record of 30 hours 11 minutes, he took a break before going back to the sea again for 10 hours, per reports. 

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“Thanks everyone, you’re the best,” he said as went straight back into the ocean. “Everyone deserves to feel awesome, deserves to take care of yourselves. Good on you.”

Johnston was raising funds in collaboration with the Chumpy Pullin Foundation. His brother, Ben Johnston, is one of the co-founders of the organization. 

“We’re just so immensely proud of what he’s done and what he’s setting out to achieve. This is all about honoring the legacy of our amazing dad,” his brother said reacting to the Johnston record-breaking surf.