Australian Father Dies In Tragic Surfing Accident In North Sumatra

Tragedy has struck as 48-year-old Australian Jeremy “Jezza” Wann died in a surfing accident while on a trip with family and friends in Indonesia. Wann was reportedly surfing in Northern Sumatra when he hit his head on the reef and was unable to be resuscitated. The incident occurred on Thursday, August 9.

Wann had been on surf trip with his teenage son, Mason, and a group of friends when the accident happened. Emergency efforts to save Wann were unfortunately not successful. Mason has since been reunited with family in Perth, while Wann’s body is still awaiting repatriation back to Australia.

“He worked hard to ensure his family had everything they needed. Jeremy made his parents proud and was always there for his sister,” a statement from the family describes.

“He will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have met him and had him as part of their lives. Jeremy lived and worked on the ocean, he had a great love for surfing which he shared with his family and friends.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help offset the costs of the accident and the repatriation of Wann’s body. The goal for the campaign was set at $15,000. As of press time, over $56,000 had been raised.

“Our best friend and brother, Husband, Father, and Son - Jeremy Wann has sadly passed away in a tragic surfing accident in Indonesia, doing what he loved the most,” reads the campaign description from organizer Dee Wilson. “Loved and respected by all lucky enough to know him we want to raise some funds to assist with the repatriation process and to support his family during this extremely sad and difficult time.”

Wann is survived by his wife Rikki, their two teen sons and 12-year-old daughter.