The waves of life with purpose

FOR surfer Blake Johnston, the ocean has always been a place of healing and discovery. His debut book Swellbeing explores the lessons it’s taught him about resilience, connection and mental health.

Like his dad and brothers, Blake Johnston is a surfer.

At 16, he chased the pro dream around the globe.

Now, the three-time world-record-holding athlete and director of Cronulla Surfing Academy pairs his love of surfing with a commitment to mental health advocacy.

In 2013, Blake’s father died by suicide.

Since then, he has dedicated his life to raising awareness and supporting mental health initiatives.

His new book Swellbeing combines memoir and self-help, sharing personal experiences and strategies Blake has found helpful.

 

“It comes with a heartfelt story, and it’s got seven practical tools or strategies I used to help cultivate a wellbeing mindset and live a healthy happy life,” he said.

For Blake, writing about his father’s death was the hardest part.

“I was aware of how that affected me but that still doesn’t get easy,” he said.

In 2023, a decade after his dad passed, Blake made waves globally with a mental health awareness campaign.

He surfed continuously for more than 40 hours, catching 707 waves, and setting the world record for the longest continuous surf. After the record, Blake reflected on what surfing means to him.

 

He sees it as a reflection of life’s uncertainty.

“We show up knowing the uncertain imperfections of the ocean… and we show up anyway.”

Even on bad days, he said, surfers are “optimistic and hopeful for those amazing moments when you connect with the ocean and ride a nice wave”.

“We know we’re going to fall off… but we paddle out anyway and we do it time and time again.”

In March this year, Blake set another record with the World’s Biggest Paddle Out, held at Cronulla beach.

More than 1,000 surfers paddled out and linked arms, forming a circle in the ocean to raise awareness and funds for youth mental health.

 

Blake says community has been essential to setting these records, and to his own mental health journey.

He said writing Swellbeing reinforced “we don’t do anything alone”.

Now, Blake’s mission extends beyond the book. With a documentary set to be released in February, he’s determined to share his message as widely as possible.

He said he wants “to help people understand that if we want to make a change in mental health, eliminate suicide and make the world a better place, then health and happiness has to become a number one priority”.

Reflecting on his 16-year-old self, Blake said he would give himself the same advice he’d give to anyone.

 

“Regardless of any achievement or anything you set out to achieve, just remember to be kind to yourself.”

Though he is now a record-breaking endurance athlete, Blake emphasised the importance of the journey when achieving goals.

“It’s not those big moments that define the big goals… it’s the person you’ve become along the way and how you show up for the people you love… by becoming the best person you can be.”

Blake Johnston will speak about his new book Swellbeing: Everyone Deserves to Feel Awesome at The Book Room in Byron Bay on Thursday, October 23 at 6pm.

Tickets via Eventbrite.

BY NYAH BARNES