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After 2,400km Drift, Lost Tasmanian Surfboard Found in New Zealand and Set to Fly Home

A Facebook appeal by finder Alvaro Bon rapidly linked the barnacle-covered board to an owner named Liam.

Overview

  • Bon spotted the 2.29m board on Oct. 15 at Raglan, New Zealand, after a kite-surfing mishap pulled him toward sea and he paddled to shore.
  • The owner reported losing the board off Tasmania during a May 10, 2024 boat trip, placing the drift at roughly 17–18 months and about 2,400km.
  • Although encrusted with barnacles and mussels, the board was in relatively good condition, which Bon attributed to a bag and rope that stayed on for much of its time at sea.
  • On Oct. 28, Bon handed the board to the owner's family in Auckland, and arrangements were made to return it to Australia by air.
  • A University of Tasmania oceanographer said the East Australian Current or the Antarctic Circumpolar Current could have carried the board, but the exact route remains uncertain.