In April of 2017, Danny Griffiths was surfing at Pedra Branca, a rock islet off the southern coast of Tasmania, when he came up against a 16 metre wave.
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He wiped out, and lost his board. Facing some of the largest waves in Australia, it was a safe bet that he'd never see it again.
But, after a chance meeting following the recent West Coast Classic earlier this month, the board is making its way home four years later - all the way from northern Queensland.
"I was back at Pedra Branca for the first time in four years the other weekend and was saying how it had been my favourite board, and that I was thinking about trying to get a new one made in the same style," Mr Griffiths said.
"Then just a few days later I got a call from Glenn Saltmarsh (the event director of the West Coast Classic) saying they'd found it."
The bright green tow board had been collected by fishermen Troy and Beau Breed 25 kilometres off the coast of Magnetic Island in 2018, at which point Mr Griffiths estimates the board had been floating in the ocean for about 16 months. That's no small feat considering the level of barnacle build up.
It had been hanging off the Breeds' wall ever since.
By chance, Troy's parents were travelling in Tasmania last week and happened to strike up a conversation with some local surfers in Marrawah about the mysterious board.
It didn't take long until it was traced back to Mr Griffiths.
"I would have loved to have had a GPS tracker on it," Mr Griffiths said.
"For years we've been saying that it was probably somewhere at the south end of New Zealand, smashed on the rocks.
"Instead it travelled all the way from the bottom of Tassie all the way up the east coast."
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Mr Giffiths is currently in the process of getting his board shipped back home and said he's looking forward to being reunited.
"It was my favourite big wave board. It's all a bit of a shock."
Mr Saltmarsh, who helped trace the board back to Mr Griffiths, said despite the mass of barnacles, all the fins were still in fair condition, with the foots traps also still intact.
"It was just a couple of people having a casual yack, and one thing has led to another," he said.
"It could only happen in Tasmania."
Meg Whitfield
Journalist at the Advocate Newspaper, Burnie, proudly covering Tasmania's North-West and West Coast. Got a tip?
Journalist at the Advocate Newspaper, Burnie, proudly covering Tasmania's North-West and West Coast. Got a tip?
