Lost At Sea: Surfboard Drifts 8,000 km From Hawaii To PH

MANILA (AFP) – When big wave surfer Doug Falter lost his board in a wipeout in Hawaii, his best hope was for a local fisherman to pick it up. He never imagined it would be found more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) away in the southern Philippines.

More than two years after watching his pale blue 6 custom-shaped board disappear in the huge swell of Waimea Bay, Falter was alerted via social media that it had been found near the remote island of Sarangani.

And the new owner – local primary school teacher and aspiring surfer Giovanne Branzuela – was happy to give it back to him.

“When I saw the picture of it, I couldn't believe it, I thought it was a joke almost,” Falter, 35, told AFP via Zoom.

“I was certain that the board would never be found again.”