Josh Ku: “If I die, at least let it be known what happened”

It was supposed to be an ambitious ride from Uluwatu to G-Land—roughly 55 miles (90 kilometers) of open ocean between Bali and Java. But for Australian surfer Josh Ku, the solo hydrofoil mission turned into a survival story after his safety boat vanished from sight mid-crossing. “I thought it was going to be another damn Elliot story,” Ku said, referencing his friend Elliot Foote, who went missing during a separate trip in Indonesia in 2023 before being found 36 hours later.

Surfer records message fearing the worst

Alone at sea, with no land in sight, no food, and no radio, Ku pulled out his phone and recorded a message in case things took a fatal turn. “If someone finds me dead, at least they’ll know what happened,” he said.

The 55-mile journey through rough conditions was far beyond anything Ku had attempted before—his previous longest foil ride being the 37-mile (60 km) stretch from Maroubra to Wollongong. “I switched into survival mode. No panic, no stress—just pure efficiency,” he said.

Safety boat reappears hours later

With only about a quart of water in his backpack and nothing but instinct to guide him, Ku pushed forward, hoping to spot Java on the horizon. Hours later, just as the coast came into view, his safety boat reappeared. It had been disabled after a log jammed its propellers.

Relief finally washed over him as the swell cleaned up near G-Land, offering perfect surf to close out the epic crossing. “When I got there and caught this bomb that linked from Kings to Money Trees, everyone in the water must’ve been thinking, ‘Where the hell did this guy come from?’” Ku laughed.

“Next time, I’ll be smarter”

The experience gave Ku a deeper trust in his own abilities—but also served as a wake-up call. “I should’ve had a radio, a tracker, some food… Next time, I’ll be smarter,” he admitted.

After the ordeal, he spent time enjoying G-Land’s legendary waves in rare solitude, reminded of why foiling reconnected him with the simple joy of gliding across the ocean—alone, but alive.

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