1,027 Surfers Set New World Record For Biggest Paddleout

This week’s event “is way more powerful,” Blakey told 7NEWS Australia in the video below. Like the last effort, Johnston had a utilitarian goal for this paddleout. The event was done to raise awareness for mental health programs. Proceeds went to support Find Ya Feet and OneWave, groups that provide mental health education to young people. The whole idea is to “Make sure that people are there for one another and teach practical tools and strategies so that they can manage life’s ups and downs,” Blakey said to the local news.

Using all manner of surfcraft, Cronulla smashed the previous official world record of 511, set in Huntington Beach, California, in June 2017. To break the record, paddlers had to link arms in the water and create a massive, unbroken circle for at least 60 seconds. A 2023 Port Macquarie memorial paddleout for Zac Young, who was killed by a shark in Coffs Harbor in 2013, held an unofficial world record of 600 participants. 

It was just a real feel-good day. The paddle out was followed by the annual Cronulla Surf Festival, which has live music, board demos, a contest, and a vintage surfboard exhibition. It was exactly the kind of day Johnston envisioned, as he wanted to include and thank the surf community that supported him during his previous world record attempt. 

"It might seem cheesy to some people, but everyone deserves to feel awesome," Johnston told the assembled masses, according to the St. George & Sutherland Shire Leader. "It's what matters, and every single one of you do. We're all worthy to be here and I want to make sure you are always kind to yourself. We set examples by having conversations and taking action, that's how we make any changes with youth mental health."